


The Long Way Home

by Rocky_T



Series: Second Chances [2]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 10:18:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16638056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocky_T/pseuds/Rocky_T
Summary: AU. During the fourth year of their journey,Voyageris beset by the Hirogen and the ship's systems are failing fast. But Starfleet may just have found a way to get them home...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and its characters are the properties of Paramount/Bad Robot. No copyright infringement is intended. The character of Justin Tighe was created by Jeri Taylor in her novel “Mosaic.” 
> 
> Part 2 of the AU "Second Chances" series, follows "Scenes from a Marriage."
> 
> Many, many thanks to Seema for helping me get this story out of my head and into actual words, and making me see I still have things to say and do with these characters.

The Hirogen ship fired again.

“Shields down to 79 percent,” Tuvok said.

“Status, Mr. Kim,” Janeway said.

Kim didn’t look up from the Operations console. “I’m still trying to access the communication relay’s storage node.”

“Time is of the essence,” Janeway said. As if in agreement, _Voyager_ shuddered noticeably under the impact of another hit.

“I’ve almost got it….just a few more seconds…I’m in!” Kim said triumphantly. “Starting the download now.”

“Quite a high price to pay for another message from Starfleet,” Chakotay said quietly from his seat next to the captain. Despite his own earlier reservations, he had gone along with her decision. Now he wondered if he should have voiced his concerns more strongly.

“But if we’re successful, despite the Hirogen ‘objections’, it may very well be worth our while.” Janeway scanned her tactical display and leaned forward in the command seat. “Helm, bring us about to 642 mark 3881.” 

Paris immediately complied, changing the ship’s position so the ancient communication array module was now situated between _Voyager_ and the Hirogen ship. 

The captain said, “Let’s see if their urge to drive us off is high enough to risk damaging the Array.”

The answer came within seconds. “Another direct hit, Captain,” said Tuvok. “Shields down to 57 percent.”

“Engineering, reroute more power to the shields!” Janeway said.

“We’re trying, Captain,” Torres replied over the comm. “But we just don’t have enough resources! We’re already siphoning what we can from life support.”

Janeway bit her lip as she exchanged glances with Chakotay. Early in the battle, they had drained the phaser banks to bolster the shields, sacrificing their ability to return fire. “Do the best you can to buy us some more time.”

The ship rocked again.

“Shields down to 32 percent,” Tuvok said. “One more hit and they will be gone.”

“Harry?”

Kim shook his head. “Download is at 43 percent, Captain. Another 10 minutes ought to do it.”

“We haven’t got 10 minutes.” Janeway turned back to Paris. “Lay in a course for 538.7 mark 976. Prepare to go to warp 7 on my command.” 

“Whatever we’ve got now will have to be enough,” Chakotay said, “We can’t risk--” 

“The Hirogen ship is showing a buildup in energy in their aft section and preparing to fire again,” said Tuvok. “Sensors indicate that this will be a more powerful—” 

“Go to warp! Now!” Janeway exclaimed.

_Voyager_ sprang away, but not quickly enough. A glancing blow from the Hirogen energy burst resulted in several bridge consoles bursting into flame.

A warning klaxon sounded. The ship’s computer announced, “Emergency fire suppressants are offline.”

Chakotay said, “Institute manual firefighting protocols!” He grabbed an extinguisher canister from under his seat and leaped into action, followed by most of the bridge crew.

Several minutes later, all the fires were out, though heavy smoke lingered in the upper portion of the bridge near the turbolift. 

“All decks, damage report,” Janeway said wearily, already assessing the bridge’s condition by eye. “If possible, try to prioritize so we can get repair crews started on the areas that are most critical.”

Chakotay coughed deeply, leaning against the rail next to the Operations station. He suddenly noticed that Kim hadn’t moved at all. “Harry, are you all right? What is it?”

Kim dragged his eyes away from his console, which had somehow miraculously survived intact. “The message from Starfleet…”

Janeway stepped up next to him. “Did you manage to get it?”

“Not the whole thing. The download was just under 58 percent when we disengaged.”

“You did the best you could,” Chakotay said soothingly, putting his hand on Kim’s shoulder, but the ensign shook him off, his head bent down once more, staring at the display.

“The fragment you downloaded--were you able to read it?” Chakotay asked.

Kim nodded. 

“What was in the message?” Janeway said sharply.

Kim looked up then, his face a haunting mixture of optimism and despair. “I can’t be sure, on the preliminaries, but it looks like...it looks like Starfleet may have found a way to get us home.”

***

“Is it true? Starfleet is going to bring us back to the Alpha Quadrant?” the Doctor asked.

Janeway bit back a sigh as she glanced around the briefing room at her senior staff. She’d called this meeting to get the bare facts out there right away, with no embellishments, exaggeration or wishful thinking thrown into the mix. She wondered now why she’d even bothered, as the rumor mill was apparently functioning as efficiently as ever.

“So it seems,” Janeway said cautiously. She rose from her seat and began to pace. “As you’ve probably heard, we’ve received another message via the alien communications array. We were only able to download it partially, but a few things are clear: Starfleet has a new drive that makes it possible to traverse large distances in a very short time.”

Torres had a skeptical look on her face. “Captain, it takes _years_ to come up with something as complex as a new stardrive. We only made initial contact with Starfleet a few months ago.”

“This is conjecture on our part,” Janeway said, “but it’s logical to assume this new drive was developed as a Starfleet contingency plan--if the Bajoran wormhole was somehow disabled or destroyed, they’d still have a way to reach the Gamma Quadrant.”

“And since a certain starship recently made contact from the _Delta_ Quadrant,” said Paris with a nod, “they decided, hey, why not try it out?”

“That would seem to be the case,” Chakotay said cautiously.

“Isn’t Starfleet at war, with the Dominion or whatever their name is?” Neelix said. “How can they devote the resources to go on a rescue mission?”

“As we just said, it’s been a few months since our last communication with Starfleet,” Kim said, his excitement barely contained. “A lot can happen during that time. Maybe the war is over.”

Seven said, “But you did not complete the download. Perhaps it would be best to proceed to the next module and try to access it once more—” 

Janeway held up a hand. “It’s too risky to make another attempt.”

Torres said, “The Hirogen already threatened to blast us out of space if we tried to access ‘their’ communications array again.” 

“And they damn near made good on their threat,” Paris added.

“The communications array is not of Hirogen origin,” Tuvok said, “although you are correct in that they most definitely display a proprietary attitude toward it.” 

“How did you even know this message was out there?” asked Neelix.

“We have continued along the same major trajectory we communicated to Starfleet when we made initial contact,” Tuvok said, “with little significant deviation over the past 4 months. As such, we have periodically passed within half a million kilometers of the successive nodes that make up the communication array. The most recent one was passed less than 12 hours ago.”

“What caught our attention was the presence of a Starfleet signature, or ‘flag,’” Chakotay continued. “It couldn’t have been any clearer if they’d put our name on it.”

“You’re sure it’s authentic?” Torres asked. “These things can be faked.”

“Such a fakery would require a basic knowledge of Starfleet protocols,” Tuvok said, “which the Hirogen lack. Moreover, what would be their motivation?”

“To have an excuse to attack us,” said Torres. 

“I think we’ll agree that the Hirogen don’t need an excuse,” Chakotay said. “Based on what we’ve seen in our past encounters, they’re a belligerent and aggressive society, with a strong predator-prey mentality.”

“And they see _us_ as prey,” Seven said.

“Exactly,” said Chakotay.

Torres frowned. “Getting back to the message…so Starfleet has developed a new drive. Did they send us the schematics so we can install it on _Voyager_? Because otherwise, I don’t see how this affects our situation. We’re 55,000 light years away from home. And even with complete schematics, do we have the materials to implement the design? We’re barely able to keep all the ship’s systems running as is.” 

“No schematics,” Janeway said. “At least, none were downloaded.”

“In the part we did get, it said quite clearly that Starfleet is sending a ship equipped with the new drive,” Kim said emphatically. 

Paris said, “The real question is, how do we find this ship? Space is a big place, after all.”

“Assuming we continue along the same course—” began Kim.

“Which leaves us open to continuing attacks from the Hirogen,” Chakotay said, echoing his earlier objections. “From a security standpoint, it may be wisest for us to put some distance between us, especially after this most recent battle. Tuvok, what’s your assessment?”

“We sustained a great deal of damage in the most recent attack,” Tuvok said. “It is highly likely we may not survive the next. Even if _Voyager_ is not destroyed, the probability of capture by the Hirogen is equally high.”

All eyes turned to the captain. “It’s a risk, I grant you that.” She was silent for a long moment. “But at this point, it’s one we have to take.”

***  
Janeway had just settled down on the couch in her quarters when the chime rang. “Come,” she called and was not at all surprised to see her first officer.

He smiled, acknowledging her unspoken statement. “We didn’t have a chance to talk, really, since we got Starfleet’s message. Other than at the briefing, of course.”

Janeway sighed. “In retrospect, I’m not sure the briefing was a good idea.”

Chakotay seated himself next to her and said, “The news that Starfleet is sending a ship is not exactly something you could keep quiet, you know.”

“Not with Harry blurting it out right there on the bridge,” Janeway said. “Aside from the crew in the immediate vicinity, I’m sure the news spread all over the ship like wildfire.”

“What did you expect?” he said incredulously. Despite his own misgivings, he couldn’t deny that this was a welcome development. “We may just have a way of going home!”

“I know…it’s just that…the crew’s hopes are raised once more. How many times has that happened on this journey? We get a glimmer of a chance which then falls apart. Optimism, followed by despair. And each time it’s harder to pick ourselves up and keep on going.”

He nodded, thinking of all the missed opportunities they had encountered.

“Especially after we received that last communication from home—” she broke off. “Well, let’s just say a lot of hopes were dashed then.”

He tried to get a look at her face but she turned away, facing toward the porthole, watching the streaming lights characteristic of the ship at warp. He knew all too well what she meant by dashed hopes. For himself, it had been hearing about the massacre of the Maquis in the Alpha Quadrant; it was almost inconceivable that, aside from a few “lucky” individuals in Federation prison, the _Voyager_ contingent represented the last remnant of their entire movement.

For the captain, it had been confirmation that the fiancé she’d left behind had moved on. 

He still remembered her expression as she’d struggled to put a brave face on things. She had said, “It wasn’t like Mark and I had never talked about this, back in the day—a life in Starfleet is full of risks. Every time you go out there, there’s no guarantee you’re always going to come back. Even a supposedly low risk mission…well, there is no such thing, not really. We had agreed that if something ever happened to me, I didn’t want him to spend the rest of his life mourning. I wanted him to find someone new, have another chance at love—” She passed her hand quickly over her eyes, as if to forestall any tears. “I’m happy he made this decision, I really am. It’s just—” 

He had understood all too well. While part of him ached to comfort her, another part was rejoicing that one of the last impediments to her being open to new romantic possibilities had now fallen away. 

But he knew he couldn’t rush her. She needed time to mourn her lost love, with the final confirmation that even if they found their way home tomorrow, that it was truly over.

And Janeway hadn’t been the only one to receive such a “Dear John” letter. For others there had been similar heartaches, or news of loved ones who had passed on without being able to say goodbye.

In the present, he reached out and clasped her hand. “It’s going to be different this time, Kathryn.”

She forced a smile. “What makes you say that?”

“For one thing, Starfleet not only knows we’re out here, they’re sending a ship.” He forestalled her objection. “True, we’re missing a lot of details and context, but the fact remains that there _is_ a Starfleet vessel out there. And it’s going to be our ticket home.”

“If we find it. If the Hirogen don’t ambush us, or a vital system fails, leaving us dead in space with no means to repair it or continue on our journey...”

“We will make it home,” he said. “Trust me.”

She sighed again and ran her hand wearily through her hair. “I hope you’ve got enough faith for both of us.”

***  
 _Captain’s log stardate 51652.3. It’s been six days since we got the Starfleet communication. We have continued along our chosen route, maintaining yellow alert, scanning for signs of any Hirogen vessels as well as anything with a Starfleet warp signature. We arrived at a large J-class nebula, which spans a full 30 light years across, 72 hours ago. I hesitate to order **Voyager** into the nebula itself, due to the unpredictability of the gasses’ effect on some of our already weakened systems. On the other hand, the nebula could also provide us with some useful cover if any Hirogen vessels have been tracking us. We estimate it will take approximately 10 days until we will emerge on the other side._

“Captain, I’m detecting a Starfleet warp signature, at 773 mark 2.89,” Kim said.

It was as if an electric current ran around the bridge, infusing everything with a burst of energy. 

“Onscreen,” Janeway said, striving to keep the excitement out of her voice. “Mr. Paris, plot a course to intercept.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Paris, his fingers flying over his console.

Within seconds, a small blue-white speck appeared in the center of the screen. “Magnify,” said Chakotay.

“Is it just me, or does that look kind of small?” Paris muttered under his breath.

Tuvok raised a brow. “Confirmed, Mr. Paris. It is approximately the size of a small scout vessel. Sensors show one lifeform on board. It appears to be humanoid.”

“Open a channel.” Janeway stood. “This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship _Voyager_. Identify yourself.”

The viewscreen shifted from a view of space to the interior of the scout ship. “Good to hear your voice, Captain,” said a man sitting at a console. He was dark haired and wore a gray and black uniform which matched the description of what the Doctor had seen aboard the _Prometheus_ in the Alpha Quadrant. “This is Commander Justin Tighe of the Starfleet vessel _Homer_. Request permission to come aboard.”

Janeway was still for a moment as if thunderstruck. “Permission granted. Ensign Kim, lock on a tractor beam and bring the _Homer_ to the shuttle bay.”

The viewscreen image shifted once more as the communication channel closed. 

Janeway sat down in her command chair. “Chakotay, go to the shuttle bay and greet our guest,” she said.

“You’re not going yourself?” he asked in surprise.

She didn’t answer his question. “Tuvok, I want you to take a full security detail and secure the area. Have the Doctor join you as well. I want a full scan to determine that he is who he says he is.”

“Don’t want to take any chances?” Chakotay asked.

“No,” she said shortly. “I don’t.”

***  
The scout ship swooped in gracefully and settled on the vast emptiness of the shuttle bay floor. Chakotay waited while atmosphere and pressure returned to normal, then stepped out from behind the inner doors, flanked by Tuvok and six armed Security personnel. The Doctor, mobile emitter in place, was under no such constraints and was already on the floor.

A side hatch opened and Tighe climbed out, coming toward them with his arms spread wide so that his hands were clearly visible. He was taller than Chakotay had expected, at least a few centimeters taller than he himself was. 

“Welcome aboard, Commander,” Chakotay said.

Tuvok leveled a phaser directly at their visitor. He said, “Doctor, if you could…”

The Doctor came forward eagerly, mediwand and tricorder already humming. “Let’s see, physiology human, a few genetic markers I can’t quite place…Ilyrian, perhaps? Yes, definitely, I don’t know how I could have missed that at first. Hmm…all right…yes…no phase variances…” After a few more seconds, he shut off his instruments. 

“Doctor, the results of your scan?” Chakotay asked.

“I can say with near 100 percent certainty that this man is human,” the Doctor said. “Of course, for a fully comprehensive exam I would need the full resources of my Sickbay, but--” 

“Thank you, Doctor,” said Chakotay hurriedly. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched. “I’m Commander Chakotay, _Voyager_ ’s first officer.”

Tighe returned Chakotay’s handshake. “Yes. And this must be Lieutenant Tuvok, and your Emergency Medical Hologram.” His glance rested briefly on the holoemitter, and then toward his scout ship. The security personnel had fanned out and were rapidly scanning the area. “I trust everything is in order?”

“That remains to be seen,” Tuvok said, though he did lower his phaser.

Chakotay said, “Commander Tighe, if you will come with me. The captain is waiting for us in the briefing room.” Tuvok fell into step behind them as they left the shuttle bay area.

In the corridor, Tighe looked around with interest. Occasionally, they passed a crewman going in the other direction.

“I assume the different sets of insignia are to delineate between Starfleet and Maquis personnel?” Tighe said. “Despite the unification of the two crews?”

Chakotay said, “It’s not a sign of division, if that’s what you mean. The Maquis chose willingly to join forces with the original _Voyager_ crew. The separate insignia serve as a reminder of our choice, a point of pride, as it were. I assure you that after four years, there are no meaningful divisions among the crew.”

Tighe smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less on a ship commanded by Kathryn Janeway.”

“You are acquainted with the captain?” Chakotay asked in surprise.

Tighe’s expression changed, became unreadable. “Yes, you could put it that way.”


	2. Chapter 2

Most of the senior staff was already assembled when Chakotay, Tuvok and Tighe arrived. Chakotay made introductions, noting in passing that Janeway remained seated as she listened to Tuvok’s rapidly whispered report. She nodded as if satisfied, then spoke.

“Welcome aboard, Commander Tighe. This is an unexpected surprise.”

Tighe met her eyes. “Didn’t you receive Starfleet’s message?”

Janeway dropped her glance to the console in front of her. “We attempted to download it, but were only partially successful. Unfortunately, the Hirogen prevented us from getting it all.”

“Ah,” Tighe said, looking from the captain to the rest of the crew. “So you didn’t know I was coming.”

“We knew Starfleet had developed a new drive, and were sending a ship,” Chakotay said. “No more details than that.”

“I see.” Tighe remained standing at the front of the room. “Well, with your permission, Captain, I’ll fill in the gaps.”

He pulled a data rod from a pocket in his jacket. “Some background first. As you may be aware, shortly after the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole, which links the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants, Starfleet began exploring this formerly unknown quadrant of space. Within a couple of years, two Federation colonies were established, rapidly followed by several more, including some from the Cardassian Federation. At the time of initial contact with the Dominion, a total of 13 colonies were present in the Gamma Quadrant.” 

For some of the crew, this was information they were hearing for the first name, but Janeway nodded. “That was the situation when _Voyager_ left Deep Space Nine.”

“Yes. We began developing a new stardrive shortly afterward, approximately four years ago,” Tighe said.

“So in case something happened to the wormhole, you’d still have a way of accessing the Gamma Quadrant,” Chakotay said.

“Exactly, as recent events have borne out…but we’ll get to that later.” Tighe inserted his data rod into a nearby console and a holographic display appeared. “The drive routes energy through a vessel’s main deflector, which then focuses a quantum field. The ship can then penetrate the quantum barrier and enter subspace, at much higher than normal warp speeds.”

Seven interrupted. “Similar to the Borg transwarp propulsion.”

“No,” Tighe said. “No transwarp conduit is involved.”

“Then it is undoubtedly a form of slipstream, as developed by Species 116, who were assimilated by the Borg a decade ago.” 

Chakotay turned toward Seven in surprise, wondering at her dismissive attitude. But Tighe had the situation well in hand.

“Again, no,” said Tighe. “The only similarity is the initial routing of energy through the deflector. In a slipstream, the phase variance of the quantum field must be constantly adjusted, or the slipstream collapses, violently throwing the ship into normal space.” He keyed in a few commands, and the hologram shifted. “This is more analogous to skimming stones across a pond. Energy builds up to a critical amount before it is released through the deflector, and momentum keeps you going until the next hop, when you do it all over again. You should be able to get six or seven hops on the initial burst, later ones probably just two or three.” The display changed again as he spoke, and the room was silent as the holographic ship “skimmed” across subspace, followed by a series of equations that Chakotay assumed explained the underlying physics.

Paris gave a low whistle of appreciation.

“How many ships currently are equipped with the new drive?” asked Tuvok.

“Just the _Homer_ ,” said Tighe, “so far.”

“How many light years can you travel in a single hop?” Torres asked, leaning forward, her eyes intent on the display.

“That depends on the mass of the ship, and of course, the initial energy burst. For a vessel the size of the _Homer_ , it ranges from 200 to 300 light years per hop.”

Chakotay inhaled sharply. Based on the snatches of conversation he overheard, he wasn’t the only one who was impressed.

“A pity we can’t all fit in your scout ship,” Paris said. “Unless you’re planning on making several trips.”

Tighe smiled. “No, that was never the plan. I’m going to install the new drive on _Voyager_.”

Seven said, “Are you familiar enough with the schematics to accomplish this?”

“I should be, as I’m the one who developed them,” Tighe said dryly. 

Chakotay noted that the turtleneck beneath Tighe’s jacket was yellow, the color of Operations or Engineering—and Security. He frowned. “And Starfleet thought nothing about sending the creator of their revolutionary new drive--and the prototype--alone to the Delta Quadrant?”

“Consider it a final test of the drive,” Tighe said lightly, “and a successful one at that, considering that I arrived here eight days ago, and have been scanning for your warp signature ever since.”

“How long did the trip take?” Torres asked.

“It took me 18 hours to travel to the Delta Quadrant,” Tighe replied. “As _Voyager_ has a much larger mass, I estimate the journey will take somewhere between 24 and 36 hours.” He touched a final control and the holographic display disappeared. He retrieved his data rod and then folded his arms across his chest, clearly waiting for their reactions.

“We could be home in days!” Kim said jubilantly. There were some other exclamations along the same lines, but a few of the crew still appeared skeptical.

Torres said, “We need to talk about the necessary materials and resources. Frankly, _Voyager_ is not in good shape. We’ve done our best to maintain the ship’s systems, but it’s been hard to find replacements as equipment wears out, and that’s not even counting the damages we’ve incurred over the past year, with our encounters with the Borg, or the Hirogen.”

Tighe said, “I’ve brought everything that we will need. I’ll start by inspecting the state of the engines and other critical systems, and if necessary, help bring things up to speed first.”

Torres nodded, clearly mollified that her concerns had been addressed. “When do you want to begin?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Tighe said at once.

Chakotay glanced at the captain, who had been very quiet throughout Tighe’s presentation. “It’s already late beta shift,” Chakotay said, “so I recommend that any inspections wait till tomorrow morning, 0800 ship’s time.” 

Janeway nodded. “Thank you, Commander Tighe. I’ll have someone escort you to your quarters.” 

“No need,” Tighe said. “I’m familiar with the layout of an _Intrepid_ class vessel.” He looked at her. “Unless there’s still an issue of my trustworthiness?”

“No, of course not,” Janeway said, a faint color rising in her cheeks. “Chakotay?”

Chakotay rapidly entered some commands in his console and then looked up from his readout. “Commander Tighe, you’re assigned to cabin 12-H on Deck 7, not too far from senior officers’ quarters.”

“I’m sure they’ll be satisfactory. Thank you, Commander, Captain,” said Tighe and he left, tossing his data rod to Torres on his way out. 

Chakotay opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the Doctor announced, “Well, as this meeting is clearly over, I shall take the opportunity to return to Sickbay.” 

Janeway nodded. “Dismissed.” The officers began to leave, talking animatedly among themselves.

Chakotay turned to Janeway, who had remained seated. “So, what do you think? It looks like the scale is tipping back toward optimism.”

Janeway was silent for a long time. “You may be right.”

“Tighe clearly did get here from the Alpha Quadrant,” Paris said, startling Chakotay who had not realized he was still there.

Torres added, “Yes, but extrapolating that to a much larger vessel is going to take some work.”

“I’ve got faith in you, B’Elanna,” Paris said, patting her arm.

“Having faith in Tighe would be a more accurate assessment,” Torres said as they left.

“How is your faith, Captain?” Chakotay asked lightly, and then was surprised by her answer.

“Justin Tighe is the most brilliant engineer I’ve ever known,” Janeway said. “If anyone can pull this off, it’s him.”

***

Janeway was on her way back to her quarters, when someone spoke behind her.

“Getting on to gamma shift now, isn’t it?” 

Janeway whirled around and saw Tighe. “Are you lost, Commander? You left the briefing room an hour ago.” 

He held up a small bag. “I went to my ship to retrieve some personal belongings. I notice that it’s still under guard but fortunately they allowed me access.” 

“I’m sure you agree that we can’t be too careful,” Janeway said. Although she didn’t look at him, she could feel him studying her.

“You cut your hair,” Tighe said abruptly.

Her hand went automatically to her head. “It was getting to be too much trouble, and so I cut it within the last year,” she said defensively, and then wondered why she felt like she had to justify herself to him, of all people. She cast him a sidelong glance. “I see you grew a beard.”

He smiled. “A van dyke, actually. I grew the beard a few years ago, but only recently decided I like the more trimmed look better.” He halted. “Well, this is my cabin.” 

She cleared her throat, knowing what needed to be said, what she should have said earlier. “Thank you.”

He raised a brow. “For what?”

“For developing the drive. For accepting this mission.”

He waved her words away. “My pleasure.”

_No, I’m sure it’s anything but_ , Janeway thought but did not say aloud. Instead she said, “Good night.”

He looked at her a long moment, before opening the door. “Good night, Kathryn. I’ll see you—and your engineering staff—in the morning.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Kahless!” exclaimed Torres as she attempted to maneuver within the narrow confines of the scout ship. Every spare inch was filled with storage crates. With some difficulty, she twisted around so she could glance back at Tighe, still surprised to see him in the older style field uniform worn by the _Voyager_ crew instead of the current Starfleet uniform he’d arrived in. His explanation had been that he didn’t want to create an additional visual distinction among the crew. Torres approved his decision to try and blend in but retained her doubts as to its practicality, as the _Voyager_ crew had been together for years in a closed, insular environment. 

“I don’t know which is harder to believe, that you brought so much stuff with you, or that you spent more than a week living in such crowded conditions! Good thing you’re not claustrophobic.”

Tighe smiled slightly. “Yes, it is.” He reached across her to access the console. “After we move the cargo to Engineering, I’ll show you the drive installation here. But first things first. Do you have the capability of site-to-site transports, or do we have to move these crates the old-fashioned way, with anti-grav clamps?”

“We can do site-to-site for small items or for up to two individuals,” Torres said, biting her lip, “but I’m afraid that for this amount of stuff, we’ll have to do a combination of transporter and anti-grav units.”

“No problem,” he said, as he retraced his steps to the doorway and began hauling out the nearer crates, handling the heavy equipment with apparent ease.

Torres tapped her comm badge. “Torres to Carey. I need two or three people in the shuttle bay to unload our new supplies.”

“On our way, Lieutenant,” said Carey.

Carey arrived within a few minutes, with Lieutenant Chapman, Ensign Jor and Crewman Boylan in tow. Together with Tighe, they removed the larger crates from the scout ship interior and applied the anti-grav clamps.

Carey went to the transporter pod inside the shuttle bay. “I’ll arrange a site to site transport for the rest of the equipment as soon as you give the word, Lieutenant Torres.”

“Wait, there’s something else I want to show you,” said Tighe. “The more ‘sensitive’ equipment is in the hold.” He accessed the main console in the now roomy cockpit and entered a series of commands, then leaned forward for a retinal scan. A panel opened in the floor, revealing still more cargo crates. “These are packed specifically with what we need for the new drive. The rest is general – replacement parts for the bio-neural circuitry, warp nacelles, plasma relays, shield components and so on.”

“New gel packs?” Torres said, wrinkling her nose as she recalled some incidents early in _Voyager_ ’s journey. “I haven’t been too impressed with their performance.”

“One of the major innovations of the _Intrepid_ class vessels was the introduction of bio-neural cells to replace much of the usual isolinear circuitry,” said Tighe as they began walking to Engineering, accompanied by the ‘floating’ crates. “They can process information more efficiently, thereby speeding up computer response time. I’ll grant you, though, that there are drawbacks, not the least of which is the fact that the average lifespan of a gel pack is a lot shorter than the equivalent isolinear component. In your situation, away from regular drydock maintenance and replacement, I’m not surprised that you feel that way.”

“We’ve been replacing the systems reliant on bio-neural circuitry with more conventional technology, wherever possible,” Torres said. “Sorry.”

Tighe shrugged. “As expected. We can at least replace the few gel packs you still have in service.”

When they arrived in Engineering, Torres was unsurprised, if not exactly happy, to see Seven of Nine there. Of course the former Borg was interested in the proceedings. Torres just hoped Seven would be more civil than she’d been in the briefing the night before. Torres understood skepticism—she herself still retained more than a few proprietary doubts about Tighe’s claims regarding fixing the ship’s systems, let alone installing the new drive. They were _her_ engines after all. But Seven’s superior tone had bordered on contempt. “Damn Borg arrogance,” she muttered under her breath.

Tighe strode confidently up to a console and immediately began accessing the readout. Torres was startled, then realized that Chakotay had obviously granted Tighe access permissions at the same time he had assigned him quarters. “Let’s start with defensive capability first.” He keyed in a few additional commands to display an overall schematic of the ship’s systems. “I’m surprised you have so few Borg components overall, but especially here.” He pointed to a particular area. “I would have thought the advantage of retaining the Borg shielding would outweigh any of the disadvantages.”

Seven gave Torres a smug look. “That was my opinion as well.”

Torres quickly said, “Unfortunately, after we severed the last links to the Collective, many of the components became inactive, and we had to remove them.” She glared at Seven. “As for the others, the Captain was concerned that keeping too many of the Borg modifications risked attracting further attention, either from the Borg or from hostile species who had themselves been victimized by the Borg.”

Tighe nodded. “All right.” He opened a panel and pointed. “We can install ablative shielding components here which should provide some additional protection, not to mention some other multi-adaptive shielding in section 320 prime delta here…”

“You are aware of multi-adaptive shielding?” asked Seven in surprise. “That technology was developed by Magnus Hansen for his vessel.”

“The Hansens made use of the technology on the _Raven_ ,” Tighe corrected her, “but it was actually developed by Starfleet and ‘borrowed’ by the Hansens when they set off on their unauthorized expedition. Moving on, let’s talk about the matter-antimatter mixture volatility above warp 4…”

Hours later, Torres made her way to the Mess Hall, her head still spinning with facts and figures.

“Tough day?” Paris asks as she slumped in her chair wearily. “How’d the ‘inspection’ go? Does Tighe know what he’s talking about?”

“It was incredible!” Torres said. “The amount of knowledge that man has…not only does he know everything there is to know about _Intrepid_ vessels in general and _Voyager_ —and the modifications we’ve made—in particular, but he’s clearly comfortable with a whole host of other engineering systems and workarounds which will be useful as well. He’s also got an eidetic memory, just needs to see something once to remember it in full detail.”

“So you won’t have to spend time teaching him the basics,” Paris teased.

“He could teach me a thing or two,” Torres said. “Seriously.”

“Sounds like you’re quite taken with him,” Paris said.

Something about his tone caught her attention. Torres looked at him, amused. “What’s the matter, Tom? Are you jealous?”

“Well, you are certainly singing his praises,” Paris said a bit sourly.

Torres grinned, and gestured to the room’s entrance where Tighe had just arrived. Many admiring glances were thrown his way as he went over to the serving counter and engaged in conversation with Neelix. Several crew members approached him to introduce themselves. “Apparently I’m not the only one.”

Paris said, “Well, he _is_ new, and anyone new would make a real stir.”

Torres rolled her eyes. “Yeah and throw in the fact he’s going to get us all home. Doesn’t hurt that he is so good looking, either.”

Tighe approached, a tray in his hands. “May I join you?”

Paris shrugged. “Sure.” He watched as Tighe pulled up a chair and sat down. “We were just talking about you. Sounds like you gave B’Elanna and her team a real workout today.”

Tighe smiled. “As I said earlier, I’m very impressed with how well the engines are holding up. You are to be commended, Lieutenant Torres. It couldn’t have been easy, with limited supplies and sources for replacement tech, to keep everything running so well.”

Torres smiled. “No, it wasn’t.”

“How’s the pleeka rind casserole?” Paris said in a transparent attempt to change the subject. “Not exactly home cooking, by Alpha Quadrant standards at least.”

“Food is food,” Tighe said nonchalantly. “You acquire different tastes depending on where you are and your opportunities to be exposed to different things. Aside from that, it makes sense that you’d be relying primarily on local produce and food sources for your caloric requirements. The replicators take up a lot of power, and that’s always at a premium.”

“We do use the replicators,” Torres said. “On a strictly rationed basis, of course. Each member of the crew gets a certain number of replicator credits each month.”

“For food, mostly, or non-essentials,” Paris added. “For example, the Captain uses hers for coffee.”

Tighe smiled faintly. “And you use yours for…”

“Silly props for the holodeck,” Torres interjected.

“And food,” Paris protested. He added, “I have to admit I’m not exactly a fan of leola root stew, or some of Neelix’s other fare.”

“You’re still utilizing the holodeck?” Tighe asked. “Despite your energy scarcity? I’m surprised you haven’t hooked up the holodeck reactor to the ship’s systems to increase your power output.”

“We tried that,” Torres said. “It ended up blowing half the relays on the ship. The reactor is not compatible with _Voyager_ ’s systems.”

Tighe shook his head. “Actually, it _is_ compatible, but it requires some tricky manipulations of the J-power grid…well, you’ve managed fine up to now without it.” He turned to Paris. “When you have a chance, Lieutenant Paris, I’d like to go over some of the navigational aspects that are part of utilizing the new drive.”

“Oh, I know my way around the piloting aspects of just about any vessel, Starfleet and otherwise,” Paris drawled. “I’m also a quick study. Otherwise I wouldn’t have a Level IV pilot rating.”

“That’s nice,” said Tighe. “I happen to have a Level V rating.” He stood and collected his empty tray and utensils. “I’m heading back to Engineering.”

“I’ll see you in a few moments,” Torres said. After Tighe left, she turned to Paris. “You deserved that, you know.”

Paris had the grace to look embarrassed.


	4. Chapter 4

One week later, Janeway looked up as Chakotay entered the Ready Room with a PADD in his hand. “Do you want to go over the personnel reports now?”

“Just give me a chance to finish up this up first,” she said, returning her gaze to the screen in front of her. “We’ve almost cleared the nebula, and will approach Sector 301 in the next 12 hours.”

“How are things going in Engineering?” Chakotay said as he took a seat. “Everyone’s eager to hear about progress with the new drive.” 

Janeway said, “According to the daily briefings, things are going well. B’Elanna says they’ve been working double shifts bringing the engines and defenses up to speed, and they will start installing the new drive components soon.”

Chakotay said, “Daily briefings? You aren’t keeping up with all this in person?” He leaned forward. “What’s up with you, Kathryn? Normally you’d be all over a visitor from Starfleet, especially in light of this particular mission whose ultimate aim is to get us all home. I’m surprised you haven’t been spending every waking moment down in Engineering.” 

“They’re still working on repairs,” Janeway protested. “I hardly think my presence is required for that.”

“Repairs or not, it seems that you’re keeping your distance and I’d like to know why.” He scrutinized her face for clues as to what was going through her mind and considered his next words carefully. “You clearly know Tighe from before. You said he’s the best engineer you’ve ever known. And when he first came aboard, Tighe said something that indicates you have a shared past.”

Janeway sighed. “Yes, I know or rather knew Justin Tighe quite well at one time.” She paused. “He’s my ex-husband. ”

“Your ex-husband?” exclaimed Chakotay in surprise. “But you’ve only ever mentioned Mark.”

“It was a long time ago. I was quite young, on my first posting after the Academy. Justin and I served together on board the _Icarus_.” She smiled faintly. "Owen Paris--Tom's father--was our commanding officer. We fell in love, and got married a couple of months after the mission ended.”

“How long were you married?”

“Seven years, if you count the last two I spent away on the Arias expedition, a long term exploratory mission in the Beta Quadrant. When I came back, it was pretty apparent that things were over between us. In hindsight, it had actually been that way for some time, even before I left.” 

“What happened?” Quickly, Chakotay added, “If you don’t mind telling me, that is.”

Janeway leaned back in her chair and said thoughtfully, “With the perspective of time, I now see it was really both our faults. We were both too ambitious and unwilling to sacrifice or compromise on our respective career paths, even at the expense of the marriage.” She fell silent, clearly lost in memory. “The last time I saw Justin was at my father’s funeral, a few years before I was given command of _Voyager _. Mark was an old friend I’d known since childhood. At the time of the funeral, he and I weren’t together as a couple yet, but were well on our way.”__

__Chakotay said, “I wish you’d told me this earlier.”_ _

__Clearly surprised, Janeway said, “Why? It isn’t exactly relevant.”_ _

__“I disagree,” Chakotay said evenly. “Your past relationship with Tighe _is_ relevant, as it can impact the work environment on board this ship. You admit to avoiding him, even to the point of staying away from the work on the new drive which is the most important thing happening right now. This will become apparent to the crew, if it hasn’t already, and it won’t be long before they start asking questions.”_ _

__Janeway’s eyes flashed angrily, but when she spoke again her voice was calm. “I promise you that this will not be an issue.”_ _

__Dismissal was evident in her tone. Chakotay knew not to press her further._ _

__“So, about the personnel reports…”_ _

__After his meeting with the captain ended, Chakotay went to his cabin and accessed the console. “Computer, call up the Starfleet files on Commander Justin Tighe.”_ _

__“Working.”_ _

__Chakotay leaned forward and began to read._ _

__***_ _

__As Janeway entered the Mess Hall, she was immediately aware that Tighe was there. As always, his presence had an almost physical impact on her. Despite her words to Chakotay earlier, she admitted to herself that she _had_ been avoiding her ex. She stood for a few moments, watching Tighe interact with her crew. She had remembered his smile, remembered his early reputation as a playboy, but she had forgotten the dedicated officer, how single-minded he could be when he was on assignment. He was apparently in that mode now. Per the briefing she’d received from B’Elanna this morning, the engine refit had been completed successfully, and they had begun installing the new drive, a full two days ahead of the original schedule. _ _

__As she watched, Jenny Delaney approached Tighe, clearly inviting him to join her and her sister. Tighe smiled politely but declined. To Janeway’s surprise, he went to sit with Chakotay and Tuvok instead._ _

__“Captain,” Chakotay called to her as she walked by. “Come join us.”_ _

__With no graceful way to avoid it, Janeway sat down in the empty seat next to Tuvok, directly across from Tighe. He gave her a warm smile. “Captain, this is an unexpected pleasure.”_ _

__“Commander,” she said formally, though she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks._ _

__“Commander Tighe has been telling us about the situation in the Alpha Quadrant, specifically the current status of the war with the Dominion,” Tuvok said._ _

__“There’s not much to add beyond the communiques I gave you when I arrived,” Tighe said, laying down his fork. Those had been standard news releases from HQ, with no additional commentary. “Frankly, it’s not going well. There have been mounting Federation losses, but now that the Romulans have entered the fray, the top brass are clearly expecting a change in fortune.”_ _

__“Losses?” asked Janeway. “Beyond what was mentioned in the communiques?”_ _

__“Betazed has fallen,” Tighe said succinctly. “Some may consider that the inner line of the Starfleet defenses. And we’re still outnumbered compared to the Dominion, which continues to send reinforcements through the wormhole.”_ _

__“Have they tried to mine the entrance to the wormhole?” Chakotay asked. “Wouldn’t that bottle up the Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant?”_ _

__“Yes, but the situation is complicated, for various reasons…suffice it to say that the Cardassians were able to disable the mines.”_ _

__Chakotay looked as though he wanted to ask another question but held back. To change the subject, he said, “What kind of reception do you think we’ll get when we arrive home? Specifically, our Maquis crew members. We heard that the few AQ Maquis survivors are in prison.”_ _

__“I can’t speak officially,” Tighe said. “But in my opinion, you’ll be OK. Starfleet needs heroes, needs a ‘feel good’ story, especially now. A triumphant return home will certainly qualify.”_ _

__“Speaking of the communiques…I have to admit I was disappointed that there was no message from Admiral Hayes,” Janeway said, in an effort to change the subject once again._ _

__Tighe shrugged. “Maybe he said everything he wanted to say in the message that you didn’t finish downloading.”_ _

__“No letters from home, either,” Chakotay noted._ _

__“My mission to the Delta Quadrant wasn’t publicized, as we didn’t want to get people’s hopes up prematurely.”_ _

__“As I said earlier, I still wonder at how they could just send you off with your new drive,” Chakotay said, meeting Tighe’s eyes challengingly. Janeway looked from one to the other, wondering what was going on between them._ _

__“And as I said earlier, final phase of field testing.” Tighe stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”_ _

__Tuvok stood as well. “As do I.”_ _

__After they left, Janeway said quietly to Chakotay, “Is there something bothering you, Commander?”_ _

__Chakotay hesitated. “I’m not sure. I looked up Tighe’s record. Maybe it’s because I resigned my commission when I joined the Maquis and therefore my security clearance hasn’t been fully restored, but there were large parts of Tighe’s Starfleet service that were obfuscated.”_ _

__Without missing a beat, Janeway replied, “During the course of a career in Starfleet, many people are given covert assignments, Commander, as I’m sure you know. For example, if you look up Tuvok’s file there’s no record of his going undercover as a member of your Maquis cell.”_ _

__“True,” he conceded, and she relaxed. There would be no need to divulge secrets that were not hers to share._ _

__“But there’s an old saying, Kathryn, that if something seems too good to be true, then it generally is. I don’t fully trust that he’s telling us the truth.”_ _

__“You don’t think he’s being honest about his mission to help us get home?”_ _

__“I don’t doubt that, I just have the sense that there’s something more going on.”_ _

__Janeway met his eyes for a long moment, trying to determine why Chakotay was suddenly wary of Tighe, to the point of researching his background. She couldn’t help but wonder if her revelation about her past relationship with Tighe had something to do with it. “I think in this case, I can assure you that you can accept him at face value.”_ _

__Chakotay nodded, though he didn’t look entirely convinced._ _


	5. Chapter 5

Janeway entered Engineering quietly, her emotions a mix of anticipation and trepidation. Any hope of remaining unobtrusive was dashed immediately, as Tighe called out, “Nice of you to join us, Captain.”

Janeway summoned a command smile. “Surely you wouldn’t expect me to miss the first test of the new drive.” She approached the new setup next to the warp core, noting the presence of Nicoletti and Celes at ancillary positions, with Seven, Vorik and Carey at key stations. Torres stood at Tighe’s side. There was definitely a current of excitement in the air. 

“As I said previously,” Tighe said to the team, “I can’t emphasize enough that this is only a preliminary trial. We’re only going to focus the deflector and do the initial energy build up, and then disengage. We didn’t set up the relays yet for a hop, and therefore it’s crucial not to go beyond the preliminaries. Otherwise we run the risk of burning out the system.”

“What will we do with the energy build?” asked Carey, “since we’re not creating a quantum field?”

“A controlled dissipation,” Tighe said, nodding at the chief engineer. “That’s one of your tasks, Torres, in addition to general monitoring.” He checked the readouts one final time and said, “Let’s begin.”

At that moment, Janeway’s comm badge beeped. “Bridge to Captain Janeway.”

“Janeway here,” she said. “What is it?”

“Please report to the bridge immediately,” Tuvok’s voice said.

Janeway frowned. “Can it wait? The test of the new drive is about to begin.”

“No, Captain, it cannot. Your presence is required at once.”

Janeway sighed. “On my way.”

“Do you want us to wait for you, Captain?” asked Torres.

Janeway shook her head. “No, there’s no telling how long this will take. I’ll return as soon as I can, but do not delay on my account.” She strode rapidly toward the exit, feeling a combination of relief—at no longer being in such close proximity to Tighe--and disappointment over missing the first real test, and wondering just what was so important to call her away.

Torres watched the captain leave, then saw she was not the only one. Tighe’s gaze followed Janeway as well, his expression unreadable. He turned back to the team. “All right, let’s get started,” he said.

***  
“Sensor ghosts?” said Janeway, as she bent over the console directly between the Tactical and Operations stations. The tiny blips appeared, then disappeared also immediately.

“That’s what we thought at first,” Kim said. “But watch this.” He made an adjustment and Janeway stiffened.

“Yes,” said Tuvok, correctly interpreting her body language. “We just made this discovery a few moments ago, and deemed it worthy of your immediate attention. It may simply be sensor ghosts, or it may be an echo of an imperfectly masked ship warp signature.”

“Or multiple ship signatures,” Chakotay said as he joined them. “The energy output is a bit high for just a single vessel.”

“When did you first see these ‘ghosts’?” Janeway asked.

“Approximately 24 hours after _Voyager_ exited the nebula,” Kim said. 

Janeway bit her lip. “Do you think the Hirogen trailed us through the nebula?”

“It is doubtful,” Tuvok said. “Based on the composition of the nebula, our warp signature should have been masked. However, that does not preclude the possibility that they communicated with other ships stationed further out, who have now located us but are keeping their distance. For now.”

Janeway was silent for a long moment, running through possible scenarios, most of them unpleasant. At last she said, “Let’s keep an eye on it. Let me know if anything changes.”

“I suggest we go to yellow alert,” Chakotay said. “Just so we aren’t caught entirely off guard.”

Tuvok nodded. “That is my recommendation as well.”

***

“Engaging the deflector,” Carey said. 

Tighe leaned over him, watching the readings, then shifted to Vorik’s station. “Call out the numbers, Ensign Vorik. Nicoletti, track the anti-matter flux.”

Vorik said, “0.2, 0.7, 1.3—” 

“That’s a bit too high too fast,” Tighe interrupted. “Seven of Nine, what do you read?”

“Those are consistent with the readings I am seeing of the delta-epsilon wave pattern but with a variation in the sinal node.”

“Shall I institute a phase correction?” Nicoletti asked.

Torres said, “Good idea. Do it.”

Vorik said, “1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2.3, 2.8…”

“That’s better,” Tighe said. “Nice and steady, people, keep the build growing at the same pace.” He looked at the main display. “Celes, rate of completion?”

“At 37 percent and holding, no, progressing, now at 43 percent, 57—“

“Good. Keep an eye on it, and prepare for cut-off at 98 percent.” Tighe moved around, checking the other displays. “Looking very good.”

Torres turned back to Carey. “Joe, what is the energy transfer rate within the deflector?”

“Within normal parameters, Lieutenant,” Carey responded. “But the efficiency is dropping.”

“As expected,” Tighe said, “as we’re not going to institute a jump to the relays—” His hand suddenly clamped down on Seven’s wrist. “What the hell are you doing?”

The former Borg attempted to wrench her arm out of Tighe’s grasp. “Release me, Commander.”

“You were about to initiate an energy transfer from the build,” Tighe said heatedly. “After I expressly told you not to!”

Seven managed to pull herself free. “It is inefficient not to take the next step to initiate a hop. Why waste the energy build—” 

“There are no relays set up! You’ll burn out the entire system!” Torres said.

“No relays are necessary,” Seven insisted. “In my experience with the Borg systems, the quantum field alone—” 

“This has nothing to do with the Borg,” Tighe said tightly. “Seven, you’re off this project. Celes, take over her station. Torres, start the controlled attenuation process.”

Seven stood there in shock. “You cannot remove me—” 

“I just did. This area is off-limits to non-authorized personnel, so get the hell out of here,” Tighe said and then turned his back on her. “Nicoletti, how does the anti-matter flux look?”

Fighting back tears of rage, Seven left Engineering.

***  
Janeway said, “Agreed. Go to yellow alert.” She looked at Chakotay and Tuvok. “Gentlemen, let’s discuss this further in the Ready Room.” She motioned to them to precede her in.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Chakotay said as he seated himself.

“Stripped of the emotional connotations,” Tuvok said as he took a second chair, “I agree with Commander Chakotay’s assessment.”

Janeway turned away from the replicator, a fresh steaming cup of coffee in hand. “The situation with the Hirogen has been building up for a while. This feels like they may be setting up for a final showdown.”

“Our first order of business is to avoid getting caught in an ambush,” Chakotay said.

“Our first order of business is to survive,” Janeway corrected him. “We barely got out of our last confrontation in one piece. And that was with a single Hirogen ship.”

“Our defensive capabilities have improved since then,” Tuvok noted. “Based on the extensive repairs and refurbishments carried out since Commander Tighe’s arrival, particularly in the shields and phaser banks, we are in much better shape than we were previously.”

Chakotay shook his head. “That won’t help us if we’re confronted by several ships at once. They can surround us and batter away at our shields until they’re gone, leaving us with a choice between dying and surrendering.”

“I don’t like either of those choices,” Janeway said, her eyes narrowing.

The door signal sounded. “Enter,” Janeway said, trying not to show her annoyance at the interruption and then her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Seven, what are you doing here?’

“I wish you to speak to you immediately on an urgent manner,” Seven said, her face flushed. She was clearly not her usual contained self.

“Did something happen in Engineering? Was the test of the new drive successful, or did something go wrong?” As she spoke, Janeway’s hand went to her comm badge. “Janeway to—” 

“The test was successful, albeit limited,” Seven sniffed. “Captain, I must speak to you. Alone.”

Janeway’s hand fell away from her badge, and she nodded in the direction of her first officer and head of Security. Tuvok immediately left, but Chakotay remained in his seat. Seven didn’t appear to notice, so Janeway thought best not to call her attention to his presence. As First Officer, he should probably hear whatever Seven had to say. And it must be important, to have ruffled the former Borg’s composure like this.

Janeway sat down in the chair behind her desk. “All right, Seven, what’s going on?”

Seven remained standing, her arms held at her side, her fists clenched. “Commander Tighe removed me from the new drive project.”

“I see,” Janeway said slowly. “Did he give a reason why?”

Seven shook her head vehemently. “His action was sudden and capricious. I believe he resents my Borg background and superior experience. When I pointed out an error in his test parameters, he snapped that the Borg had nothing to do with this and he ordered me to leave Engineering immediately.”

Janeway frowned. “That doesn’t sound like something Commander Tighe would do.”

“I assure you that I am telling you the truth,” Seven said. “You must order him to reinstate me immediately.”

Janeway gave her a long appraising look, then activated her comm badge once more. “Janeway to Engineering.”

“Torres here.”

“How did the test of the new drive go?” Janeway asked.

“It worked!” Torres said enthusiastically. “We’re analyzing the data now, but the initial test of the deflector was a success!”

“That’s good news,” Janeway said warmly. After their recent string of bad luck, it was about time something went in their favor. “Is Commander Tighe there?”

“Yes, I am,” Tighe responded.

“Please report to my Ready Room, Commander. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you,” Janeway said.

“On my way.”

Janeway turned to Seven. “I’ll discuss this with Commander Tighe and get back to you. You’re dismissed.”

“But I wish—” 

“I said, I will discuss this with the Commander and get back to you,” Janeway said firmly and waited till Seven left.

“Well?” said Chakotay. “What do you think this is all about?”

“I have no idea,” Janeway said wearily. “With Seven, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.” 

“Never a dull moment, that’s for sure,” Chakotay said. They fell silent until the door signal sounded again.

“Enter,” called out Janeway.

Tighe came in, his mood jubilant. “It worked, Kathryn! The first stage was a success.”

Janeway smiled. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear this. Sorry I wasn’t able to be there in person.” She paused. “I wonder if you can clarify something for me, Commander.”

His head came up sharply. “Yes.”

“Seven of Nine was just here. She said that during the test, you suddenly ordered her off the project. Is this true?”

“Damn straight it is,” Tighe said. He leaned over and planted his hands firmly, palms down, on her desktop. “She deliberately disobeyed orders and attempted an energy transfer after buildup, despite knowing full well that the relays hadn’t been set yet. If I hadn’t stopped her, she could have blown out every last component for the new drive, components for which we don’t have any spares, I might add.”

Janeway said neutrally, “I heard you tell the team that the relays weren’t set up yet for a hop.”

“Yes. So there was nowhere for that energy to go in a controlled fashion.” Tighe met her eyes. “Do you have a problem with my actions, Captain? Or the way I’m running the project?”

Janeway held up her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I’m just trying to figure out what happened.”

“I won’t have someone on my team who can’t obey orders,” Tighe said as he straightened up. “Initiative is one thing, insubordination is another. She’s a loose cannon and too big a liability.” 

“I see.”

He met her gaze for a long moment. “I can’t believe you’d even question me on this, Kathryn. No commanding officer worth their pips would put up with this type of behavior for an instant.”

Janeway’s chin went up sharply, but she nodded. “Thank you clearing this up, Commander. Dismissed.”

“I’ll send you the preliminary results of the test soon,” Tighe said. He opened the door to reveal Seven standing right outside. Without a word, she pushed past him into the Ready Room and stood waiting expectantly.

Janeway took a deep breath. “I spoke to Commander Tighe, Seven, and he explained the circumstances.” She paused. “I have to say that I agree with him.”

“What?” Seven said, clearly shocked. 

“He said that you disobeyed direct orders and endangered the entire drive project.”

“Perhaps the Commander was taken aback by my attempt to take the next logical step, but he clearly has overreacted,” Seven said defiantly. “Did you order him reinstate me to the team?”

“That’s not going to happen, Seven,” Janeway said firmly. “It’s Tighe’s team and his call. The only way you can be reinstated is if he decides to do so.”

“But he will not!” Seven said in dismay. “His dislike of me—” 

“I suggest you try and apologize,” Janeway said, cutting her off. “Tell him you understand what you did was wrong and promise it will never happen again. I can’t guarantee this will work, but it would be a good first step.”

Seven did not deign to reply, but went off in a huff.

“Well, she obviously thought I would intervene on her behalf,” Janeway said. She took a sip of her now cold coffee and grimaced.

Chakotay, who had been a silent witness up to this point, said, “I have to say I’m a little surprised you didn’t take Seven’s part.”

“Seriously, Commander?” Janeway said. “After what we just heard?”

“This isn’t the first time she’s been insubordinate, Captain, or refused to follow orders when she thinks she knows better. In engineering, on away missions….B’Elanna has brought this to your attention before.”

Janeway sighed. “You’re right, I have given her a lot of leeway in the past, and always gave her the benefit of the doubt. I thought that was the best way to bring her back into the fold of humanity. I’m sorry she’s so upset right now. But this is an important lesson for her to learn, and frankly, the new drive is too important to screw up.” She leaned back in her chair thoughtfully. “Perhaps I haven’t done Seven any favors by allowing her to think she can act outside the chain of command with impunity.” 

***

“And then,” Torres said with relish, “Tighe kicked her out of Engineering!”

“You’re enjoying this entirely too much, B’Elanna,” Paris said with mock disapproval. 

“What I’m enjoying is the fact that someone finally called Seven out on her behavior, on her refusal to take orders because she always think she knows best.” She looked at Kim. “What is it, Harry?”

“Well, I feel sorry for Seven,” Kim said. “It’s been less than a year since she was separated from the Borg and joined the crew. She’s still learning proper human behavior; she didn’t know any better. She was just a little kid when she was assimilated, after all.”

Torres shook her head. “Sorry, but I’m having none of that. She has to learn that her actions have consequences and she can’t just ride roughshod over everyone else. Does she even realize that what she did was wrong, that she could have destroyed our only chance of getting home and endangered the ship to boot? Does she even care?”

“She cares,” Kim insisted. “I spoke to her earlier, on the Bridge. She had just finished meeting with the Captain about what happened and she was pretty upset.”

“Upset about what she did, or upset about being removed from the project?” asked Torres. It was evident from her tone what she believed the answer was.

“She was upset,” Kim said again. “Apparently, the Captain told her that Tighe was the only one who could reinstate her and suggested she apologize for her behavior.”

“That’ll be the day,” Torres said. Kim opened his mouth to protest, but Paris hastily intervened.

“Come on, B’Elanna, Harry, enough. We’ve only got Holodeck Two for another hour. We’re here to celebrate the first successful test of the new drive system, so let’s celebrate.”

Torres slowly nodded. “You’re right, Tom. So, what do you have in store for us?”

“You’re gonna love this one,” Paris assured them. “Computer, start program ‘Captain Proton.’”


	6. Chapter 6

As they entered Holodeck One, Tighe raised his eyebrows questioningly at Chakotay and then smiled in appreciation.

“Welcome to Sandrine’s,” Chakotay said. He clapped Tighe on the shoulder. “Come on, let me buy you a drink.”

They seated themselves at the bar and placed their orders. Tighe looked around the dim interior. “Nice period details,” he said. “Presumably this is supposed to be French?”

“Tom Paris says he copied this from an actual bar in Marseilles,” Chakotay said. “Though I’m sure you’ve been in places like this before.”

“Many times,” Tighe agreed. “Still, this is an excellent reproduction.”

Their drinks arrived. “Cheers,” Chakotay said. “Here’s to the successful first stage of the drive, and to its eventual completion.”

Tighe took a sip of his bourbon. “Synthehol?”

“Of course.”

“Not a bad facsimile,” Tighe said. “Cheers.”

There were a few other members of the crew present at nearby tables. Ayala and Dalby were shooting pool. Tighe said, “It was a good idea to dedicate one of your holodecks to a publicly accessible program; this probably allows more people a chance to participate than if both holodecks were for individual use only.”

“Yes,” Chakotay said. “Holodeck One has always been public, albeit not always running the same program.” He smiled as Ayala got off a particularly tricky shot, much to Dalby’s dismay. “This is one of the earlier ones; it’s not as flashy as some of the more recent programs we’ve had but it still maintains its popularity.”

“I’m surprised not to see your Captain here,” Tighe said, watching the game as well. “Kathryn’s a real pool shark.”

“Oh, yes. She really cleaned out Paris the first time he challenged her to a game.” Chakotay smiled at the memory. “Do you play?”

“I’m good, but I’m not in her class.” Tighe finished his drink and motioned to the bartender for a refill.

“Kathryn mentioned the other day that the two of you were once married,” Chakotay said, striving to keep his voice casual.

Tighe looked up. “Yes. It was a long time ago.”

Chakotay studied the other man’s expressionless features. _How could you walk away from a woman like that_ , he thought. Aloud, he said, “Sorry if it seems like I’m prying, but I was wondering why you went your separate ways.” 

“You could ask Kathryn that. In fact, you probably already did.” At Chakotay’s nod, Tighe went on. “As I said, it was a long time ago. We’ve both moved on since then.”

“I just want to make sure there are no issues among the crew,” Chakotay said in the same neutral tone he’d adopted earlier. “If the drive works, we’re home free, literally. But if it doesn’t, we’re looking at another fifty years together in close quarters. This could be…awkward if not unpleasant.”

Tighe glanced at him sharply. “You’re very protective of her.”

“As First Officer, it’s part of my job.”

“No, this goes beyond that,” Tighe said, leaning forward. “This seems more personal.”

“I just don’t want Kathryn to get hurt,” Chakotay said. 

Tighe shook his head. “Kathryn Janeway is probably one of the strongest individuals I know. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.”

“I’m aware of that—” Chakotay started to say.

“And you don’t have to worry about me. I’m no threat to her—or to you.” 

Chakotay was silent for a moment, studying Tighe. “What do you mean?”

“It’s pretty obvious your feelings for her are more than in a professional capacity,” Tighe said, forestalling Chakotay’s objections. “Not that I blame you. Kathryn is a hell of a woman. But as I said, I’m not a threat. She’s been holding me at arm’s length since I arrived, keeping her interactions with me to a bare minimum.”

Chakotay nodded slowly. “And how do you feel about that?”

Tighe gave a short laugh. “Asking me if she’s the one who got away? Yes, I suppose she is. But that’s all in the past. Right now, I’m the guy who developed the drive, and I’m here to help you get home. No more, no less.” He stood. “Thanks for the drink, Chakotay. And if I can offer you some advice…”

“Yes?” Chakotay said, though he was not sure he wanted to hear it.

“Kathryn is tough; she never gives up and she never gives in. She sees anything else as a weakness. It’s one of her more compelling characteristics, and at the same time, one of her most damning. She fights her own battles.” Tighe paused, and then met Chakotay’s eyes. “Don’t expect her to stop fighting and let you do it for her.”

He walked away, leaving Chakotay alone with his thoughts.

***

The next morning, Kim entered the turbolift and saw that it was already occupied. “Good morning, Commander Tighe.”

“Good morning, Ensign. On your way to the bridge?”

“Yes, sir.” Kim hadn’t expected to run into Commander Tighe like this, but suddenly realized he’d been handed a golden opportunity. “I’d like to congratulate you on the successful test of the new drive yesterday.”

“You can thank your fellow crew members,” Tighe said. “They’re the ones who did most of the work, in particular Lieutenants Torres and Carey.”

Kim nodded. “Speaking of the crew, sir, you should know that I spoke to Seven of Nine.” He glanced at Tighe, considering his next words carefully. “She feels terrible about what happened at the end of the test, sir, and would really like to be reinstated to the team.”

Tighe gave him an appraising look. “Thank you for your input, Ensign.” 

The turbolift slowed.

“So will you consider letting her come back?” Kim asked eagerly. “I’m sure that what she did will never happen again—” 

“Thank you,” Tighe said again firmly and exited the turbolift.

Kim stared at the closed doors as the lift started up again, wondering if he’d helped Seven’s cause or only made things worse. He exited on to the bridge, took up his station, and began searching for any overt signs of Hirogen vessels.


	7. Chapter 7

Torres entered the main engineering area, and saw Tighe was already there. She was convinced the man never slept—he routinely spent far more time on duty than a single—or even double--shift warranted. When asked point-blank about his stamina, he’d smiled and mentioned he’d inherited it from his Ilyrian father.

He looked up and saw her. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”

“Morning,” Torres said as she bit back a yawn, silently cursing Tom and his new holoprogram and regretting her lost hours of sleep. “Are you working on the relay set up?”

Tighe shook his head. “I was, until I noticed some unusual power fluctuations in the main warp core. Here, take a look at this.” He stepped aside to let her see the console’s display.

“Damn it, the output dropped by 3 percent? What caused this?” Torres asked. 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out right now.” Tighe stopped abruptly as the viewscreen off to his right activated.

“All hands, this is the Captain. We have detected multiple Hirogen vessels at 333 mark 785. Red alert. All hands to battle stations.”

***

During the years she’d spent in the command chair, Janeway had learned to trust her instincts. She felt no qualms about “jumping the gun” now and going to red alert as soon they’d detected the Hirogen ships. Her gut feeling was this was not going to end without a decisive battle. Judging by the number of ships lying in wait, the Hirogen obviously had the same idea.

“Lay in a course change, Captain?” Paris asked as he displaced the relief helmsman and took his seat.

“This doesn’t look like the Hirogen are giving us the option of avoiding them this time,” Janeway said, “and frankly, I’m tired of running.” She swiveled in her chair, so she was facing Tactical. “Onscreen.”

“Reading five Hirogen vessels, Captain,” Tuvok said as he complied with her request.

“And they’re clearly waiting for us,” Chakotay said grimly, as he studied his own display screen. “We’ve seen this pattern before.”

“Two of the ships, including the lead vessel, are heavily armed cruisers,” Kim reported. “The other three are smaller vessels, of the type we’ve fought off before.”

“I bet they’ll still pack quite a punch,” Chakotay said.

“Agreed,” said Tuvok. “As Mr. Paris said in one of our earlier encounters, sensors indicate that they are ‘armed to the teeth.’”

“Open a channel to the lead ship,” Janeway ordered. “This is the Federation vessel _Voyager_. As we’ve stated before, we’re on our way home and we have no belligerent designs on any of the Hirogen worlds or claims. Our intentions are peaceful, but we will defend ourselves.”

The viewscreen shifted to show the interior of the cruiser. Janeway studied the Hirogen commander, referred to as the “Alpha” in their parlance, wondering if she had seen him before, but the alien visage was hard to identify, and the bright blue slash of his war paint further obscured his features. 

“We know of your so-called peaceful intentions,” the Alpha said. “As well as your ‘respect’ for Hirogen territory and claims. Once again you have attempted to infiltrate the communications array, despite several previous warnings. You must pay for your insolence!”

Janeway didn’t flinch. “We are prepared to defend ourselves.”

“Have you no sensors? You are vastly outnumbered, like a _ktach_ within a trap. You will not escape.”

“That remains to be seen,” she said. Janeway made a quick motion, cutting off the transmission. “Tuvok, target the main section of the lead ship. Fire phasers.”

***

The ship rocked in response to the Hirogen phaser blasts. Fighting to maintain her balance, Torres spit out a staccato series of commands to her crew. “More power to the shields…keep those phaser banks charging…give me a readout of the matter-anti-matter flux and let me know immediately if it dips below 97 percent…”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tighe had also taken up a station at the main shield console, displacing Nicoletti. He hadn’t taken part in any of their battle drills, obviously, or even been on board during the most recent Hirogen attack, yet his clearly demonstrated engineering abilities made her think he knew what he was doing. At any rate, there was no time to worry about him now.

“Janeway to Engineering. B’Elanna, we need more power!”

In the background, Tuvok was saying, “Shields at 76 percent and dropping.”

Torres cursed under her breath. Out loud, she said, “Aye, Captain! We’re doing our best, but the onslaught is just too much. The hits keep coming! We can’t absorb this order of magnitude for much longer!”

“Just do it. Janeway out.”

***

“Another direct hit to the aft shields,” Tuvok said. “One more blow and they’ll be gone.”

Chakotay scanned his console display. “They’re not trying to destroy us,” he said in dawning realization. “They’re trying to batter down our shields!”

“I don’t know what’s worse, being destroyed outright or being cast as the Hirogen’s next prey,” Paris muttered.

“Neither of those is a very palatable alternative,” Janeway said sharply. “Helm, go to 567 mark 14.”

The Hirogen blast cut across where Voyager had just been.

“Evasive maneuvers, pattern Omega 7,” Janeway ordered.

***  
 _Voyager_ shuddered again, as it swerved out of the way of the Hirogen phaser blast aimed in its direction. However, the energy beam hit another one of their ships with full impact, destroying it instantaneously.

“That improves the odds a bit in our favor,” Carey said tensely as he studied the position of the remaining Hirogen ships on the screen in front of him.

“It won’t be enough,” Torres muttered as she checked the readout for shield status, trying not to think what the Hirogen did to “prey” unlucky enough to be captured alive. “They’re concentrating their fire—” She broke off as she noticed that Tighe was doing something unusual at his console, and in response, the shields were literally “bunching up” in one area, leaving another completely open. “Tighe, what the hell are you--” She suddenly realized that somehow every Hirogen blast hit dead on a bunched area, but struck nothing that was vulnerable. 

She went and stood next to him, watching as his fingers flew over the control panel, manipulating the shield bunching. “How do you know what’s the next target?”

“I created an algorithm,” Tighe said shortly, “to predict where the next blast lands, based on previous attack patterns. This should buy us some more time.” 

***  
“Fire phasers!” Janeway said, her eyes on the main viewscreen. She was relieved to note that they’d managed to take out another Hirogen vessel.

“Three ships are still fully functional, including one of the heavy cruisers,” Tuvok said. “We are continuing to sustain damage. The fore and aft shields are close to collapse.”

“Helm, turn the ship so the damaged parts of the shielding aren’t so exposed,” Chakotay said.

Kim looked up from his station. “Captain, the blasts are already hitting only shielded areas.”

“Are you serious?” Chakotay said, half-rising from his seat. _Voyager_ shook again, causing him to fall back into a sitting position once more. “How can that be?”

“Ask Torres to explain later,” Janeway said tersely. “Whatever she’s doing, it’s giving us a fighting chance.” She studied her screen again and came to a decision. “Prepare to fire photon torpedo, on my mark.”

“We only have one,” Chakotay cautioned. “The Hirogen ships are highly maneuverable. If we miss our target--”

“In terms of holding anything in reserve, there may not be a next time,” Janeway said. “We’ve got to open a hole in their defenses, then punch our way through. Fire!”

The lead Hirogen ship erupted in a spectacular burst. “Helm, get us the hell out of here!”

“No sign of pursuit by the remaining vessels,” Tuvok said after a few moments. “They appear to have sustained considerable damage as well.”

Janeway exhaled sharply but kept a grip on her emotions. “Janeway to Engineering. B’Elanna, whatever you did with the shields, you are to be commended. If not for your efforts, I don’t know if we would have made it out of there in one piece.”

“It’s all thanks to Commander Tighe,” Torres responded, a note of awe in her voice. “He’s the one who saved us. He was able to predict where the next blast would land and maneuver the shields accordingly.” A chorus of voices in the background sounded in agreement. 

Janeway nodded slowly. “Thank you, Commander, for saving my ship.”

“All part of the job, Captain, as you know,” Tighe said, and Janeway started at the echo from the past.

She turned to see Chakotay studying her. “I guess we’re lucky that we have Tighe on board,” he said quietly. “In more ways than one. We should be very grateful.”

“Yes.” Janeway was silent for a moment, and then added, almost to herself, “I guess I can’t keep avoiding him forever. At the very least, I owe him a dinner invitation.” 

***  
Hours later, Janeway decided to make good on her promise. There was nothing to be gained by putting it off. “Computer, locate Commander Tighe.”

“Commander Tighe is in Holodeck Two.”

Janeway hesitated outside the door, unsure of whether or not to signal to announce her presence. Then she saw the name of the program and couldn’t resist going inside.

She found herself on the familiar hilltop monastery grounds, the old stucco structure shining in sunlight, though the valley below was wreathed in shadow. She walked along the cobbled path, feeling like it had been just yesterday when she was last here, instead of the many years that had passed. She saw the pond on her left, and smiled when she saw the number of koi. 

“You were right,” Tighe said. “Four is better, just like you said.” 

Janeway looked up, and was struck once again by his physical presence. He wore only a pair of workout pants, his well-muscled chest bare and glistening with sweat. He stilled the long sweeping motions of his _kata_ , and bent to pick up a towel.

“I always thought five made the pond look too crowded,” Janeway replied. “I can’t believe you still have this program.”

“To what do I owe the honor of your presence?” he asked lightly.

With an effort, Janeway pulled herself away from memories of the past. “I wanted to thank you.”

“You already did.”

Janeway shook her head. “It’s more than that. You saved us from almost certain capture by the Hirogen. Do you know what they do to their captives? What sadistic games of ‘predator and prey’ they would have subjected us to before finally killing us all?” She exhaled sharply, trying to regain her calm.

“I’ve read your logs,” he said quietly. “And the reactions of the crew during the battle made it very clear that an outright death in battle would be preferable.” 

“But they didn’t capture us, thanks to you.”

He waved her words away, but she pressed on. “I also want to thank you for coming on this mission in the first place. I know I haven’t been available very much since you arrived; I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“Of course not,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement.

“At any rate,” she went on hurriedly, “I would like to invite you to join me for dinner this evening.”

“Mess Hall?”

“No. Why don’t you come by my quarters at 20:00 hours? We can have a chance to catch up then in more congenial surroundings.”

He smiled. “I’ll be there.”


	8. Chapter 8

Janeway glanced around her quarters once more. The table was nicely set, and the ambient lighting was lower than usual without being too dark or calling out for some lit candles. _This isn’t that type of dinner_ , she reminded herself, then frowned that the thought had even occurred to her. She had just finished running a comb through her short auburn locks when the door signal sounded.

“Come,” she called out.

“Good evening,” Tighe said as he entered. Despite being off-duty, he was wearing his old-style uniform and Janeway was very glad she had elected to remain in uniform herself. He handed her a bottle of wine. “Here you go.”

She took the bottle. “You shouldn’t have,” she said, gesturing at the ice bucket on the side table. “I already have a very nice Chardonnay—” she broke off sharply when she saw the label. “This isn’t replicated. Where did you get it?”

“I brought it with me,” he said. “I thought it could be used to celebrate our successful journey home with the new drive, but figured why not bring it tonight? I remember once hearing someone say something about not putting things off but to celebrate in the moment.”

“Wise person,” Janeway said. She scrutinized the bottle more carefully. “And it’s not a Picard?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always thought Picard was overrated. Meaning the winery, of course.”

“Of course.” She picked up a corkscrew to open the bottle, and then filled their glasses.

“To the homeward journey,” he said with a smile as he lifted his glass to her.

She took a small sip, and then a larger one. She’d forgotten just how it felt to drink wine that hadn’t been replicated but had been made from real grapes. There was a subtle difference in flavor and   
texture, and she let the liquid roll over her tongue appreciatively as she thought about his toast. _Going home…_

She looked up to see his cool green eyes appraising her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do I sense some hesitation on your part, Kathryn? About getting home, I mean.”

“Of course I’m eager to get home,” she said quickly, and took another swallow of wine as she gathered her thoughts. “But, yes, I suppose I’ve got some mixed feelings.”

He refilled her glass and then his own. “About me? Or are you worried about what kind of reception you’ll get back home?”

She shook her head. “I’m not worried about Starfleet Command. It’s just…don’t get me wrong, Justin. I’m grateful for the new drive, of course, but I guess I really wanted to get my ship and crew home on my own power.” Her grip tightened on the stem of her glass, and she forced herself to relax. “Instead, here I am getting rescued.”

Tighe frowned. “It _is_ on your power, Kathryn. None of this would be possible if you hadn’t held the ship and crew together all these years.” He added, “It couldn’t have been easy.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she said quietly. She thought she saw a hint of pity in his eyes, and quickly turned to the dining table. “Why don’t we sit down and eat?”

She busied herself at the replicator, and within moments was carrying the serving dishes to the table. He rose to help her, and she felt her pulse quicken as his hand accidentally brushed hers as he took a large bowl from her. To cover her reaction, she hastily took another drink of wine.

“Lamb stew and couscous,” Tighe said appreciatively. “One of my favorite dishes.”

“I remember how much you liked it that time my mother made it,” Janeway said. 

“Yes.” He took a forkful and closed his eyes. “This is even better than I remember.” He took a second, larger bite. “Don’t tell your mother that, though.”

She laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Her smile faded as she added, almost to herself, “that is, if I ever get the chance to see her again.”

“You will.” They ate and drank in silence for a few moments, and Tighe refilled their glasses once more.

“Speaking of home,” he said, “I heard from Mark Johnson shortly after you first made contact with Starfleet Command.”

Janeway looked at him in astonishment. The few times their paths had crossed, Justin and Mark had been polite to each other if not exactly cordial. She couldn’t imagine why Mark would contact Justin. “Really? Why?”

“He wanted to make sure I knew _Voyager_ had been found.” Tighe’s amusement was evident in his voice. “As if I wouldn’t have heard otherwise.”

_Of course you knew about **Voyager**_ , Janeway thought to herself, _what with your various “connections.”_ Aloud, she said, “It was very considerate of him to call you.”

“Yes, it was,” Tighe said, his eyes not leaving her face. It appeared he was waiting for something. Well, she could guess what it was. 

“Speaking of Mark, I received a letter from him,” Janeway said, deliberately keeping her tone casual. “As he may have told you, he got married not too long after _Voyager_ was declared lost with all hands presumed dead.” She was proud of herself that she was able to say this without her voice shaking.

Tighe frowned. “I can’t believe he told you he had moved on while you were still so far away.”

“He thought it was the kindest course,” Janeway said, defending Mark’s action. “We had agreed long ago if something happened to me, I wanted him to go on with his life. I didn’t want him to mourn forever. And at the time of that communication, we were still 58,000 light years away. In the normal course of events, it would take decades for us to get back. There was no reason for him to delay telling me.” 

Tighe shook his head emphatically. “ _I_ would’ve waited. To give you something to hold onto.” 

Janeway felt the color rise in her face as she remembered that under not too different circumstances, Justin _had_ waited to deliver life-altering news. By the time she’d left to go on the two years-long Arias expedition, their marriage was effectively over. But Justin had waited until after her return to ask for a divorce. 

“He thought giving me my freedom was the best thing he could do for me.”

Tighe’s lip curled but he didn’t argue the point further. “I have to say, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten together with anyone else.”

“It’s only been a couple of months since I heard from Mark,” Janeway protested. “And anyway, who would I be with?”

Tighe gave her an amused look. “Your First Officer, for one. It’s pretty evident Chakotay would like to serve under you in a much more personal capacity.”

Janeway took another sip of wine. “It’s against Starfleet regulations to be involved with someone in your direct chain of command,” she said primly.

“Bullshit,” Tighe said. “That didn’t stop us on the _Icarus_ , when you were my direct report. And anyway, being out here in the Delta Quadrant is surely extenuating circumstances. Come on, Kathryn, do you think Command would really expect you to be celibate for 70 years?”

“So, what about you?” she shot back. “Are you involved with anyone?”

Tighe gave a sardonic laugh. “You know better than anyone that I’m not exactly prime marriage material.”

“All right, maybe not marriage, but surely you’ve had at least one or two serious relationships since our divorce. It’s been years, after all.”

He shook his head. “No. Nothing serious. In fact, I’d scarcely call them ‘relationships.’” He was silent for a moment. “But getting back to you, Kathryn. What’s your excuse? You’ve been out here for a long time. I can’t imagine you consciously choosing to be alone. Forget about the physical aspects, but don’t you miss just being with someone?”

“I do miss it,” she admitted. “It hasn’t been easy…but it has been necessary.”

“Why?”

“Because to be strong for my crew and keep us from falling apart, I’ve had to put their needs above my own. I couldn’t afford to--”

“Hold on,” he interrupted. “Are you saying that being lonely and frustrated makes you a better captain? I don’t buy that. Forget about the needs of your crew for a moment. What about _your_ needs? Aren’t they important, too?”

It was her turn to shake her head. “I can’t take that chance.” She lifted her glass and realized it was empty, as was the bottle. She stood, a bit unsteadily, to retrieve the second wine bottle, and he rose with her, standing very close. Looking up, she saw herself reflected in his eyes and wondered what he saw when he looked at her. A rigid martinet, or a woman beaten down by life and made old before her time? Someone so focused on surviving, she’d forgotten how to live?

She suddenly felt very tired. “Sometimes,” she whispered, “with so much riding on my shoulders, I feel like I’m losing Kathryn at the expense of having to be the captain.”

“Even captains are allowed to want and need,” Tighe said softly, and then he kissed her. 

She had forgotten how warm and soft his lips were, how they felt as they moved down the side of her face to the nape of her neck. Her arms came up around him, brushing the back of his neck, feeling the texture of his short black hairs against her fingers.

He pulled her closer and she closed her eyes, feeling his warmth, the way his arms trembled as he held her. She pressed against him, a heat and hunger rising inside her, and she kissed him back. Harder. Faster. He pulled back slightly, but only to peel off her jacket. He tugged at her shirt, and then suddenly swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Once he deposited her on the bed, he quickly stripped off his own clothes and she marveled at the sight of him standing above her naked, his enlarged penis standing out and darkly red. She made to remove the rest of her clothing, but he did it for her, until she was completely undressed except for her panties. Gathering the waistband into a bunch, he twisted the cloth and pulled until she felt it rubbing against her clitoris, and she moaned.

He began to make love to her, with lips and tongue and teeth, his hands roaming over her body. Moving up to her breasts, he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked, evoking a storm of emotions from her. She reached for him, running her hands over his chest and shoulders, then moving downward to stroke his penis and balls, and heard his breath catch. It felt so good to be in his arms once more, so _right_. Long-suppressed memories flooded her mind, woken by the power of his touch. No matter how tempestuous their relationship had been, the bedroom had been the one place where they had come together with no difficulties, no misunderstandings, no thwarted hopes or dreams to keep them apart. He knew what she liked and despite the fact it had been so long since the last time she’d done this, very soon he brought her to the brink. She felt herself orgasming once, twice. She rode a wave of passion so strong she felt it would never stop. He thrust deep inside her over and over again until they both came together in the most intense climax she’d ever felt. Dimly, she heard him calling out her name, and knew that she responded in kind.

His breathing still harsh, he rolled away from her, then looked back at her, her hair lying disordered on the pillow, her face flushed, and he smiled.

The icy realization of what she had just done came over her like a thunderclap.

“Oh my God.” She sat up quickly, clutching the sheets against her chest almost convulsively, shielding herself from his view. “I can’t believe it. How could I have done this, and with _you_ of all people!”

He sat up then too, looking at her quizzically. At her words, his expression hardened. “Maybe it’s because I’m safe.”

“Safe? You? Ha!” she laughed derisively. She had made herself completely vulnerable, on every level, to the one person with whom she should have been the most guarded.

Tighe got out of bed. “Or maybe I’m just easy.” He rapidly dressed and strode to the doorway of the bedroom. He paused, but she remained hunched over in the bed, so full of self-recriminations that she couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Make whatever excuses you want for what just happened. But don’t say you didn’t enjoy it or you didn’t want it.” The sound of his footsteps receded. “Thanks for dinner, Captain,” he called and she heard the outer door of the cabin close.

She fell back against the pillow and gave herself up to the storm of emotions so intense they threatened to choke her. 

***  
Chakotay was on his way to his own cabin, when he saw Tighe leaving Janeway’s quarters. He remembered her comment that she was going to invite Tighe to dinner as a way of saying thanks for his efforts to refurbish the ship’s systems and, not incidentally, being instrumental in saving them in the battle with the Hirogen. Chakotay suspected she was also motivated to show she was no longer avoiding her ex. 

“Good evening,” Chakotay said as Tighe passed him, obviously deep in thought. 

Tighe looked up, clearly startled, but gave him a brief nod. “Commander.” 

Chakotay couldn’t help but notice that Tighe’s hair, usually smoothly combed back, looked mussed and his jacket was somewhat rumpled. He’d probably come to dinner straight from Engineering, Chakotay supposed, and from his haste, was probably on his way straight back there. 

Chakotay paused at Kathryn’s door, considering stopping by and asking how the evening went, but then thought better of it. It was late, and the captain was probably getting ready for bed. He could always ask her in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

Janeway woke and stretched luxuriously in bed, and then caught sight of the indentation in the pillow beside her. Full memory of the night before flooded her mind, and she writhed in embarrassment.

She had slept with Justin. Fallen into bed with him, with very little if any resistance on her part, and had wild passionate sex. She stumbled out of bed, suddenly conscious of a throbbing headache and a feeling of nausea, which wasn’t helped by the sight of the dishes from last night lying abandoned on the table. She made her way to the replicator. “Coffee, black, hot.” It materialized and she sipped it gratefully. 

She was starting to feel slightly better but acknowledged she probably needed a detox hypo as well as an analgesic. It had been so long since she’d had real alcohol; she’d forgotten that it was often followed by a real hangover. Though she hadn’t exactly gotten drunk the night before, she’d clearly imbibed enough to affect her judgement.

_No_. She almost immediately discarded that train of thought. What she’d done last night couldn’t be blamed on the wine. She’d felt the physical pull since Justin had arrived on _Voyager_ , though she’d done her best to ignore it, had actively tried to avoid him up until now. Well, it hadn’t done her any good, considering how quickly she had succumbed to his charms once they were alone. She closed her eyes as she thought about the evening, remembering his arms and lips, the way he’d made her feel…and remembered, too, how she had illogically turned on him as soon as the sex had ended, the cruel things that she’d said.

_What an idiot I am_ , she thought. _I can’t leave things like this._

She took a quick shower and dressed, then rapidly left her cabin.

***  
Without much difficulty, Janeway tracked him down in the main engine room, at the new drive installation adjacent to the main warp core. There was no one else in sight.

Tighe must have heard her coming, but didn’t look up from the console. His hands moved rapidly over the interface, keying in a series of commands. 

“Don’t tell me you were here all night,” she said lightly.

“All right, I won’t tell you,” he replied.

She wished he would at least look at her; it would be easier to say her piece if she could address his face instead of his back. She took a deep breath. “I owe you an apology. My actions last night were completely wrong, and I had no right to do what I did. I was selfish, thinking only of myself, and I should never have—” 

“Are you apologizing for sleeping with me?” he interrupted.

She quickly said, “No, last night was…well, a lot of things that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to unpack, but I don’t regret what happened.” He was facing her now, his expression unreadable. Doggedly, she pressed on. “What I _do_ regret is how I immediately lashed out at you afterward. You didn’t deserve it, and I’m truly, deeply sorry for how I treated you. ”

He looked at her for a long moment before replying. “Apology accepted.” 

“Thank you. I also wanted you to know--”

“Tighe, I’m glad you’re here!” Torres said excitedly as she entered the room. “And Captain Janeway, too.”

Janeway bit back her frustration at the interruption and forced herself to turn to her chief engineer. “What’s up?”

“Remember that phase variance issue we were having with the matter-antimatter matrix?” Torres said. “I just spoke to Carey and Nicoletti and they think they figured out a way to make it more stable.” Torres went on to describe the solution, but Janeway tuned her out. Instead, she was concentrating on Tighe and wondering what he was thinking.

“Do you agree?” Torres said.

Tighe cleared his throat. “Yes. In fact, the same thing occurred to me and I’ve just finished adjusting the rate flow. That should do the trick. Take a look at these readings.” He moved aside to allow Torres access.

“When did you do this? Surely you weren’t here all night?” Torres said as she examined the output.

“I had just asked the Commander the very same question,” Janeway said quietly.

“I had trouble sleeping, so figured why not get some extra hours of work in,” Tighe answered Torres, though he was looking at Janeway.

Torres glanced from one to the other, a slight frown on her face. “Well, good, I suppose. One more test, and then we can actually engage the drive in another day or two.”

Tighe said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Once we get the navigation details squared away.” 

“That’s great news,” Janeway said. “I’ll leave you to it.” She left Engineering, walking rapidly, without looking back.

***  
Tighe stood next to Paris at the helm. “Engineering, prepare to engage the new drive.”

“Standing by. Just give us the word,” Torres’s voice responded over the comm.

At the Operations station, Kim said, “All systems ready.”

“Engage the deflector,” Tighe ordered.

“Energy build nearing 98 percent…preparing to activate the relays…” Torres’s voice said.

Tighe nodded at Paris. “Full impulse power…now.”

The delta-epsilon wave pattern of the quantum field appeared on the main viewscreen, and _Voyager_ sprang to meet it.

“Variation in the sinal node is greater than 0.03,” Kim reported. “It’s at the upper limit of the normal range.”

“Steady as she goes, Paris,” Tighe said.

“Trying…” Paris said, wrestling with the controls. “She feels sluggish. Suggest cutting to one half impulse power.”

“Negative,” Tighe said. “Kim, how is the shearing?”

“Within acceptable parameters,” Kim said. “It shouldn’t be a factor.”

“That’s what _you_ say,” Paris muttered under his breath. He made a rapid decision and slowed to three-quarters impulse.

“First hop…and now!” Tighe said, looking at the screen. But instead of engaging smoothly, the ship suddenly swerved ninety degrees and Tighe hit the floor. At Operations, Kim also lost his balance. Only Paris remained in his seat.

Tighe swore as he got back to his feet. “Computer, end trial simulation.” The holo-mock up of _Voyager_ ’s bridge froze in place.

“Paris, what the hell was that?” Tighe demanded. “In a real run-through, if the inertial dampeners failed at that point, you could have killed the whole crew.”

Paris said defensively, “It’s not as easy as it seems, catching the ‘wave’ like that. I still think full impulse is going too fast.”

“Ever go surfing?” Tighe countered. “Come on, a California boy like you certainly has. When you catch up to the wave, it’s no time to be timid.”

“Yeah, I know, I know,” Paris muttered. He scanned the console readout, looking for his error, and found it. “You’re right. The angle of deflection was too high.”

“I thought you said the drive is analogous to skimming stones across a pond,” Kim said.

“It is,” Tighe said. “But from the ship’s perspective, riding the burst from the deflector as it forms the quantum field is like catching a wave on a surf board.” 

“Mixing metaphors, Commander?” Paris said, summoning a grin to shake off his feeling of failure. “Is that allowed?” 

“Damn straight it is,” Tighe said. 

Kim snickered. Tom laughed as well, when a sudden thought hit him. Tighe had called him a “California boy.” How had Tighe known where he’d grown up, or that he used to surf extensively in his pre-Academy days? He recalled B’Elanna mentioning that Janeway and Tighe had served together early in their careers, and he realized who their commanding officer must have been. 

Tighe and Kim were now good-naturedly arguing about the lack of seatbelts or holding straps on the simulated bridge when Paris impulsively blurted out, “Do you know my father, Commander?”

Tighe looked at him for a long moment, and Paris immediately regretted asking. He should’ve known better. Janeway clearly worshipped Admiral Paris, and doubtless Tighe felt the same way. After not having a chance to read the letter from his father—and not expecting that it contained anything good--the last thing Paris wanted to hear was additional accolades about the Admiral.

“Yeah, I know your father,” Tighe said at last. “But I won’t hold it against you.”

Paris’ head snapped up at that. Tighe didn’t sound like he was joking. Before he could say anything further, however, the holodeck doors opened and Seven of Nine entered.

“Seven, what are you doing here?” Kim asked in surprise.

Tighe said at once, “This is a closed simulation, open only to authorized personnel.”

Seven gave him a disdainful look. “I brought something you may find useful.” She handed Kim a data PADD and quickly left.

Kim scrolled through it and smiling, handed it to Tighe. “What’s this?” Tighe asked.

“Detailed astrometric data,” Paris said, glancing over his shoulder and reading rapidly. “This will be useful in plotting our course.” He gave Tighe a sidelong glance. “I could be wrong, but I’d call this someone doing her job.”

“I’d call it an apology,” Kim said. He seemed a bit nervous at challenging Tighe but pressed ahead nonetheless. “What do you think, Commander?”

Tighe nodded slowly. “You may be right, Ensign.”


	10. Chapter 10

_Captain’s log, stardate 51715.2, supplemental. Tomorrow at the start of Alpha shift we will attempt to engage the new drive. Based on preliminary estimates from Commander Tighe, our journey home is expected to take approximately 30 hours. I’ve instructed the crew that I don’t want or expect anyone to be on duty continuously for the duration. Barring any incident, shift changes will occur as they normally do, so I’ve encouraged everyone who will be on duty at the start to make sure they get a full night’s rest. As for myself, I fully intend to do the same, but there’s one thing I have to do first. I owe it to **Voyager** , for all we’ve been through together. She’s served us well, and I feel she’s just as much a member of the crew as the humanoids aboard her._

Janeway took a long tour of all the ship’s decks, exchanging a few words with any of the crew that she saw. She stopped by Sickbay, nodding as the Doctor expounded on his eagerness to introduce some of his insights and advances to Starfleet Medical. She thought of checking in with Seven and offering any needed support at the changes ahead, but the former Borg was in the midst of a regeneration cycle. In the Mess Hall, Neelix asked if she wanted a late night snack. She considered asking him how he felt as they were about to permanently leave behind the last vestiges of the Delta Quadrant, but she supposed he had made that decision long ago. And so Janeway declined his offer and continued on her way through the sparsely populated corridors, pausing every now and then and just listening to the distant thrumming of the engines. 

In contrast to other areas of the ship, Engineering was still a hive of activity as last minute diagnostics and other preparations for the journey home were underway. Instead of entering through the main doors, Janeway elected to use the catwalk which ran parallel to the main warp core, high above the floor below.

As expected, Tighe was hard at work at his station. As if he sensed her presence, he looked up and gave her a little salute before turning back to his console. 

Janeway waved back, and instead of moving on, stood there watching him for a few minutes. She thought of the many times she’d observed him thus, his hands deftly entering commands into a console interface or fixing a recalcitrant piece of equipment.

 _What do you want_ , Kathryn? she asked herself and the answer was automatic: To get her ship home. And then what? Getting home represented an ending, and at the same time, an opportunity for new beginnings. What would those be? What did she _want_ them to be? She shook her head, frustrated at her lack of answers. 

At last she returned to her own deck and made her way to her cabin, feeling oddly more unsettled than before.

“Captain.” She looked up to see Chakotay standing outside his own quarters. “Would you like to come in for a nightcap?”

“Yes,” Janeway said, glad for the distraction. “I would.” He ushered her in and then after a short delay, handed her a glass of sparkling cider.

“Big day tomorrow,” Chakotay remarked.

She smiled at his understatement. “You could put it that way.” She took a sip of her cider and then put her glass down on the side table, not really wanting it. “We’ll either succeed in getting home, or die trying.” She anticipated his protest and held up one hand to indicate she wasn’t finished yet. “I don’t mean that literally. But there’s no denying that after tomorrow, everything changes.”

“Not everything,” he said. 

Looking into her first officer’s deep brown eyes, Janeway felt reassured by what she saw. “You’re right. There are some things I can always rely on.” She touched his arm lightly. “I know you’ll always have my back.”

“Always.” His voice was rich in meaning and Janeway felt a stab of dismay that he was perhaps reading more into her words than she had intended.

Hastily, she went on. “I’ve spoken to several of the crew. Excitement is high; though there are still a lot of unknowns, the mood is definitely leaning toward optimism.”

“As I said, optimism usually wins.”

“Yes. I just hope their expectations of home will be met.”

“What about your expectations, Kathryn?” Chakotay asked pointedly.

Avoiding making eye contact, Janeway picked up her glass once more. “I can’t look too far ahead. For now, I can only concentrate on the immediate future, and that’s the use of the new drive to get us home.”

“I see.” If Chakotay was disappointed, he didn’t let it show. “There’s something else you can always rely on, that hasn’t changed--how I feel about you.” He put his glass down and reached out and took hers as well. He then leaned forward and kissed her softly.

For an instant, she found herself responding, and then she pulled back. “We shouldn’t--” 

“Why not?” he asked urgently. “I love you, Kathryn. I’ve felt this way since our early days in the Delta Quadrant.” He bent his head toward hers and she thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead, he said, “Spend the night with me, Kathryn.”

Startled, she raised her eyes to his face. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he said emphatically. “I am. For better or worse, this is most likely our last night in the Delta Quadrant. Once we’re back home, well, things won’t be the same as they are now. We may not ever have an opportunity like this again.” He moved closer and repeated in a softer tone, “Spend the night with me.”

Involuntarily, Janeway’s mind flashed to making love with Tighe. _His hands moving across her body, a feeling of heat and urgency building up inside her_. The surprising intensity of the memory left her feeling weak. Struggling to regain her composure, she said, “Chakotay, I can’t. There’s too much that’s unknown--”

“What’s _not_ unknown is how we feel about each other.”

“Chakotay, you’re my first officer and my best friend. But right now, I can’t commit to more. I’m sorry if I’ve misled you.” She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “I’m sorry,” she said again as she left his cabin, trying to ignore the look of loss in his eyes.

***  
The next morning, Janeway hurried into the turbolift. Although Alpha shift wasn’t due to start for another half hour, she wanted to get to the Bridge well in advance of the shift change—and the inauguration of the new drive.

As the turbolift doors closed, she saw that someone else had had the same idea.

“Good morning, Captain,” Chakotay said.

“Good morning, Commander,” she said evenly.

“Computer, hold lift,” he said, and turned toward her. Janeway braced herself for the conversation she knew they had to have, though this was neither the time nor place for it. 

“About last night…I’m sorry,” Chakotay said, looking genuinely contrite. “It was wrong of me to try and pressure you to take a step you’re not ready for.”

Janeway nodded, relieved. But Chakotay wasn’t finished yet.

“I was also wrong when I said we may not ever have an opportunity like this again.” He leaned forward. “I know in my heart that getting back to the Alpha Quadrant represents a new beginning for us.” He added, “I don’t want just one night, Kathryn. I’m in this for the long haul.”

“Oh, Chakotay,” she said, genuinely touched, “I wish I could say--”

“You don’t have to give me an answer now.” He gave her a small grin. “As you know, I’m a patient man.” 

“Thank you,” Janeway said, then added, “Computer, resume lift. We’ve got a date with destiny.”

“Don’t want to keep her waiting,” Chakotay agreed. As the doors opened onto the Bridge, he straightened up, every inch the consummate first officer. “Remember, I’ve got your back, Captain. Always.”


	11. Chapter 11

A palpable excitement could be felt on the Bridge as they ran through their pre-flight checklist.

“What’s this?” Chakotay said, examining an unfamiliar case he found in the space where the emergency medkit usually resided. A clinking noise could be heard inside when he moved it. Taking a guess, he said, “Paris, do you happen to know what this is and how it got here?”

“I would imagine it’s something for our celebration upon the successful conclusion of our journey,” Paris said guilelessly as he ran through the final set of helm diagnostics.

“Don’t tell me you brought a couple of bottles of champagne on the Bridge,” Chakotay said incredulously. In the center seat, the Captain lifted her head sharply and fixed Paris with one of her patented “death glares.”

Everyone held their breath.

But all Janeway said was, “Keep it stowed until it’s called for.” She then rose from her chair and said, “Mr. Kim, put me on shipwide speakers.”

***  
The Engineering crew turned as one when the screen containing the direct feed from the Bridge suddenly activated. “All hands, we are preparing to engage the new drive,” the Captain said. “Engineering, what’s your status?”

Torres exchanged glances with Tighe, who stood ready at his station. “Standing by,” Torres said. “Just give us the word.” 

Over the comm, they heard Kim say, “All systems ready.”

“Here goes nothing,” Carey muttered under his breath. Immediately afterward, Paris could be heard saying the same thing on the Bridge.

***  
“Engage the deflector,” Janeway ordered.

“Energy build nearing 98 percent…preparing to activate the relays…” Torres said over the comm.

Janeway nodded at Paris. “Full impulse power…now.”

The delta-epsilon wave pattern of the quantum field appeared on the main viewscreen, and _Voyager_ sprang to meet it.

“Variation in the sinal node at 0.02,” Kim reported. “Well within normal range.”

“Steady as she goes, Mr. Paris.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” The ship bucked slightly as they encountered some turbulence, but Paris was able to compensate.

Leaning back in her chair, Janeway said to Chakotay, “Settle in. It’s going to be a long ride.”

***  
“Ready for the first hop now,” Nicoletti reported.

Torres nodded. “Initiating.” She looked up at the display showing _Voyager_ ’s progress in real time. She found herself holding her breath as she felt a slight jarring motion, and then the ship begin to rapidly accelerate.

***  
Kim looked up from his console. “Captain, our speed is off the charts! This is incredible!”

“Steady as she goes,” Janeway said. “Engineering, are you monitoring our directional velocity?”

“Affirmative,” Tighe answered. “Our acceleration is proceeding at the expected rate, with all drive systems operating within normal parameters.” He paused. “I wasn’t kidding when I said we could cover a distance of a few hundred light years per hop.”

“Understood,” Janeway said, and relaxed imperceptibly as she settled back into her seat.

***  
By the third cycle of hops, their miraculous journey began to seem almost routine. After several hours, Janeway began to miss the sight of the stars but acknowledged that if they saw them now, it would mean the drive had shut down prematurely. There had been a tense moment at hour 11 when they encountered a larger than normal phase variance during the energy transfer from the deflector, but other than that, things were proceeding as expected.

The hours went by. The shifts changed, and then changed again. Despite her earlier words to the crew, Janeway herself tried to remain on the Bridge for much of the journey, only retiring to her Ready Room, at Chakotay’s insistence, for two relatively short naps on the sofa. Sometimes it was Torres who delivered the hourly updates from Engineering and at other times it was Carey answering the call. But always, in the background, Tighe was there. It was irrational on her part, but as long as he was keeping watch, Janeway knew everything would be all right.

***  
At hour 29, Torres came back on duty after a break to relieve Carey. “You should get some sleep while you can, Joe.”

Carey gave her a tired smile. “I know, but the thought of getting back and seeing my wife and kids again is just too exciting for me to relax at this point. How much longer do you think it will be, Commander?”

“Probably at least another hour or two before we can start thinking about disengaging the drive,” Tighe answered, looking up from his most recent scan. “It depends on how much of a burst we get from the latest deflector build. The efficiency of the transfer rate has been dropping steadily—as expected—and we’re getting fewer and shorter hops with each attempt.”

“Let’s see those numbers,” Torres said, leaning forward. She suddenly realized that Tighe had been in Engineering continuously since before they had engaged the drive. “Why are you still on duty?” she demanded.

“And miss all the fun?” he shot back. “Don’t worry about me, Lieutenant. I’m fine. We’re almost there.”

***  
They had just passed the 33-hour mark. Remembering Tighe’s earlier estimate, Janeway hit the comm switch on her armrest and asked, “Engineering, what’s our status?”

“I was just about to contact you,” Tighe responded. “Preliminary readings indicate we are approaching our target coordinates. Another few minutes should do it.”

“Understood,” Janeway said.

“Preparing to disengage the drive on your order, Captain,” Torres said a short time later.

“Do it,” the Captain ordered and leaned forward a bit in her seat, not taking her eyes off the main viewscreen.

Almost immediately, the wave pattern began to peter out. 

“Speed now at Warp 9.7 and dropping,” Kim reported. “Nine point two. Eight point five.”

Without thinking, Janeway reached out to Chakotay, who was sitting next to her. He took her hand and squeezed it, and she responded in kind, grateful for his support.

_Voyager_ ’s speed continued to decrease, until the ship experienced a sudden burst of turbulence. The main viewscreen blanked out, and then came back on almost immediately. The powdering of stars and constellations could be seen once more.

“We’re at a full stop,” Paris said.

“Affirmative,” Tuvok said. “We have exited the quantum field wave.”

Janeway stood. “Mr. Kim, where are we?”

“Checking,” Kim said, clearly striving to hold his voice steady. “Sensor readings confirm that we are at the outskirts of the Alpha Quadrant!” Cheers and whoops broke out among the Bridge crew.

Janeway smiled broadly. “Send a message to Starfleet Command, with our current coordinates.” Due to their still great distance—though not as great as before--there would be a lengthy wait until they could realistically expect a response. She cleared her throat. “All hands, this is the Captain. I am happy to report that a few moments ago, we arrived at the outer region of the space defined as the Alpha Quadrant…” 

She glanced around the bridge and changed her mind about continuing. Everything necessary had already been said. Paris and Kim were exchanging high fives. Other members of the bridge crew were celebrating as well, and she could’ve sworn she saw a fleeting smile on Tuvok’s face.

“You did it, Kathryn!” Chakotay exclaimed as he approached her. “You got us home, just as you promised you would.” 

She hugged him in pure reflexive joy. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. She couldn’t help noticing that he held her a little too tightly before letting go. “Or without any of you,” she said, turning to the rest of the crew and embracing each one in turn.

“Hey, Paris,” Chakotay called. “Where’s that champagne?”

***  
In Engineering, they were celebrating as well. The main engine room grew increasingly crowded as off-duty personnel swarmed in, joining the crew already there.

Torres hugged Tighe. “You did it, Commander! It worked! It worked!”

Tighe smiled. “I never had any doubts.” He glanced around the room at the general merriment, and then at the screen which displayed the Bridge interior. Paris could be seen pouring glasses of a bubbly liquid and handing them out liberally. “Go ahead, Lieutenant, get up there and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. I’ll wrap things up here.”

Torres didn’t argue but flew out the door almost as if she had wings.

Once she was gone, Tighe looked around to make sure he was unobserved. As it happened, Neelix, followed by Samantha Wildman and Michael Ayala, had just entered the main Engineering room carrying several bottles of synthehol, and immediately they became the focus of everyone’s attention. Tighe leaned down and discreetly removed a recording device from inside the console and pocketed it. He then said, “Computer, begin Level One diagnostic of the engines.”

***  
An hour or two later, when the celebration on the Bridge was showing signs of dying down, Janeway went down to Engineering. To her surprise, she saw his station was vacant.

“Are you looking for Commander Tighe?” Celes asked. At the captain’s nod, she went on to say, “You just missed him.”

Janeway strove to conceal her disappointment. “Thank you, Ensign.”

Outside Tighe’s quarters, she hit the signal and waited. 

“Come in,” he called and the door slid open.

Janeway took a few steps into the room and then stopped. Tighe had clearly just come out of the shower. He wore only a towel slung low around his hips, a dark whorl of hair just visible above the line of fabric. Forcing her eyes upward to his face, she saw his hair was slicked back and there were droplets of moisture clinging to his skin.

“I was wondering if you’d come by. Something I can do for you?” he asked with a smile.

“I came looking for you just now and was surprised you weren’t still in Engineering,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “Silly of me, I know.”

“Even I need to sleep sometime,” he said, his tone amused. “Especially as I’m leaving tomorr—” He cut off suddenly. 

Janeway was taken aback, as she’d assumed Tighe would remain on board for at least the next few weeks until they reached Earth. “Would you care to explain that statement?” 

His eyes met hers. “Now that you’re back in the Alpha Quadrant, in four days’ time, _Voyager_ will be met by two long-range Starfleet vessels who will escort you back to Sector 001.”

“But how do you know--” 

“And Kathryn,” he said quietly. “It’s important you don’t mention me or my involvement at all.” 

Realization dawned. “This wasn’t an official mission after all, was it?” she said slowly.

He smiled faintly. “That depends on what you mean by ‘official.’” 

“I mean sanctioned by Starfleet.”

“It was,” Tighe said, putting a placating hand on her arm. “Just not by the branch you mean.” 

She pulled away from him angrily. “Section 31,” she said harshly. The covert group had been a flashpoint throughout their marriage, starting when she had first learned of the Section’s existence and purpose—and Justin’s role in it. She remembered how she had begged him to leave, and even though he’d eventually agreed to do so, over time, certain events had made her suspicious that he hadn’t. “You’re still involved with the damn Section. After all these years, nothing ever changes, does it?”

“As I told you when I arrived on your ship,” Tighe said steadily, “my mission was to help you return to the Alpha Quadrant.” He paused and a hint of anger crept into his own voice. “And now, once you excise any mention of me from your official logs, you can get all the glory of doing it on your own, of getting your ship home like you promised.” 

“That wasn’t what it was supposed to be about,” she snapped. “Justin, you know I could care less about glory or credit or whatever you want to call it. What I mean is--”

“You wanted an answer, and I gave it to you.” 

They locked gazes in tense silence.

“Are you satisfied?” he asked abruptly,” or did you come by for something else? If you did, sorry, but I’m too tired to perform to your specifications.”

Janeway felt as if she’d been physically slapped. “I’ll leave you to get your much deserved rest,” she said as she turned on her heel and left.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, the senior staff, along with several other crewmen who had worked closely with him, assembled in the shuttle bay to see Tighe off, though his body language clearly indicated he would have preferred just slipping away quietly. He was back in his gray and black Starfleet uniform, making him look like a stranger once more. 

Janeway watched silently as he said goodbye to her crew. Her anger had dissipated and she was aware of an almost overwhelming sense of loss. She and Tighe always seemed to be at cross-purposes, never on the same page at the same time. One step forward, then two steps back. She had so many mixed emotions where he was concerned and she hated the fact he was leaving now, with so much between them still unresolved.

Citing the current state of war with the Dominion, Tighe had told the crew that for security purposes, when questioned about the new drive, they were to just say that the new technology had been picked up in the Delta Quadrant. This was true enough in its way. To Janeway’s surprise, no one had argued or even questioned these orders, though Chakotay had given her a meaningful look that portended a more in-depth conversation later.

Tighe shook hands with the Doctor, and then with Neelix, who pressed a container of treats on him. “A token of our gratitude,” he said.

Tighe smiled and placed it in his bag without comment.

“Thanks again, Commander,” Kim said warmly.

“You’re welcome, Ensign,” Tighe said. “Though I don’t suppose you’ll be staying at that rank for much longer.” Kim beamed.

Tuvok raised his right hand in the traditional Vulcan salute. “Live long and prosper, Commander.”

“Peace and long life,” Tighe answered in the native Vulcan language. 

Tuvok raised a brow in surprise and said, “Your service honors us.”

Tighe clapped Tom on the back. “Nice flying, Paris,” he said and Janeway saw Tom’s gratified smile.

“I’ve learned so much from you,” B’Elanna said as she said her own goodbyes. “I’m glad I had the opportunity.”

“You’re going to be a hell of an engineer one day, Torres,” Tighe responded. “In fact, you already are.” 

Seven then spoke up. “Commander Tighe, I am sorry for my actions earlier, and that they prevented me from having the opportunity to learn from you as well.”

Tighe nodded. “Apology accepted.” 

Chakotay shook hands with him and said, “Thank you, Commander.” He paused and met Tighe’s eyes challengingly. “Good luck in your future pursuits.”

“The same to you, Commander,” Tighe said. To Janeway, it was apparent that both their statements were heavy with double meaning.

Finally, Tighe held out his hand to Janeway. “Captain.” 

Janeway made an abrupt decision, not caring that her crew was present, knowing only she’d have regrets later if she didn’t do this now. Instead of taking his hand, she reached up, pulled his head down to hers, and kissed him. 

His arms immediately went around her and their kiss lasted for several beats. Janeway held nothing back as she tried to express all she was feeling, what she was unable to say in words. Finally, as they moved apart, she whispered in his ear, “Don’t be a stranger, Justin.” 

His eyes flashed with a series of emotions, too fleeting to capture. Bending down, he picked up his bag and got into his ship, never looking back. 

Janeway ignored the whispers and exclamations of surprise from her crew, as well as the shock and then dawning realization on Chakotay’s face. Her head held high, she exited the shuttle bay.

***  
Paris and the others managed to pull their attention away from the captain long enough to scramble inside the inner bay door to watch the _Homer_ launch. The scout ship banked sharply to port as it cleared the immediate space of _Voyager_ ’s vicinity. Suddenly, there was a flash and the scout ship disappeared.

“The _Homer_ must have been cloaked!” Kim said in surprise. “No wonder Starfleet had no qualms about sending Tighe off solo to the Delta Quadrant!”

“Indeed,” Tuvok said.

“Kind of makes you wonder what other secrets Tighe was hiding,” Paris remarked, clearly thinking of the scene they had just witnessed.

Striving to keep his voice level, Chakotay said, “I suppose we’ll never know.”

***  
The next day, Janeway sat at her desk in the Ready Room, working on a pile of reports. A recorded message had arrived that morning from Admiral Hayes, expressing surprise at _Voyager_ ’s sudden return, and warmly welcoming them back. He’d also specified which navigation route they were to take to Sector 001, so as to avoid, in his words, any current “hotspots.” Apparently the Chin'toka system, on the Cardassian border, was in the heart of the war zone, thereby ruling out a stopover at Deep Space Nine. Hearing this reminded Janeway of something she knew but had evidently not yet internalized: far from being the bastion of safety she’d imagined, the Alpha Quadrant was involved in a long and devastating war.

“Come in,” she called out when she heard the door signal, and was not really surprised when she saw Chakotay enter.

“I’ve come to help with the paperwork,” he said, clearly in official first officer mode. “I know we’ve got a lot to do before we arrive at Starfleet Command.”

“Thanks,” she said as she immediately slid half the stack of PADDS over to him. “You can start with those.” In an attempt at levity, she said, “If I’d known how quickly I’d get bogged down in making sure everything is in accordance with Starfleet regulations, I would’ve thought twice about coming back from the Delta Quadrant so quickly.”

Chakotay smiled gamely as he took a seat. “At least you have another few weeks to get them all done.” The smile disappeared as he said, “Tell me, Captain, are you really excising all mention of Tighe from the ship’s logs?”

Janeway gave a quick shake of her head. “First of all, personal logs always remain private. Only under extenuating circumstances would Starfleet ever even consider demanding they be made public.”

“And the official logs?”

“Official logs are another story,” Janeway conceded. “However, while not exactly against Starfleet directives, there is precedent arguing that modifying a starship’s official logs in any way is, well, on shaky legal ground. I’m not going to change or remove anything in my Captain’s logs, nor have I instructed Tuvok or B’Elanna, for example, to change their departmental logs.” She idly tapped her stylus against the desk surface. “Tighe’s request was more about not mentioning his name casually, such as in interviews with news media. I’m sure he is very well aware his involvement will come out during our debriefing at Starfleet Command.”

“Or when Starfleet engineers start going over our new drive and realize that all the components were made in the Alpha Quadrant,” Chakotay noted dryly.

Janeway nodded. “Yes, exactly.” She went to the replicator. “Coffee, black, hot.” Turning to him, she asked, “Can I get you anything?”

Chakotay ignored the question. “I’d like to ask you something, Captain. About Commander Tighe.”

Janeway had been expecting to have this conversation with Chakotay, but not quite so soon. Bracing herself, she said, “Go ahead.”

“Is Tighe part of Covert Ops?”

“I can’t answer that,” Janeway said, trying to hide her surprise that Chakotay chose to broach this topic first. “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” he said, standing up as if to give greater weight to what he was about to say. “It _does_ matter. When Tighe first arrived, I had the sense something wasn’t quite right. For one thing, he brought no personal messages for any of us—yes, I could see Starfleet not wanting to get our families’ hopes up, but neither did he have anything from Admiral Hayes or anyone else from Starfleet Command.” He paused to let that sink in. “Then there’s the fact that he came alone, without any backup—I can’t imagine Starfleet would be so cavalier with a game-changing quantum drive that could revolutionize galactic space travel, not to mention give us the upper hand in a war against an enemy that hails from the Gamma Quadrant.” 

Janeway nodded tersely.

Chakotay continued, “Add Tighe’s abrupt departure yesterday, telling us not to mention his involvement…there’s no other explanation.” A hint of anger crept into his voice. “If I’m a pawn, I want to know for whom, and why.”

“If you’re looking for the rationale behind the mission,” Janeway said in a reasonable tone, “maybe it really was to just field test the new drive. Maybe Starfleet badly needs another ship to help in the fight against the Dominion, and so they were willing to go to such extraordinary lengths to get us back.” She took a sip of her coffee. “There are so many possibilities but none of them really matter. The important thing is that _Voyager_ is home.”

Chakotay slowly nodded, perhaps guessing she knew more than she was willing to say. “Perhaps you’re right. At any rate, so many things make sense to me now, except one.” He paused, and she could tell, her heart sinking, what he was leading up to. “What the hell was that between the two of you in the shuttle bay?” 

Janeway flushed. “I was saying goodbye.”

“Or maybe, hello?” 

Automatically, Janeway started to say, “It was over between Justin and me a long--” 

“That’s not the impression I got,” Chakotay said, taking a step closer to her. “Did you sleep with him while he was on board _Voyager_?” 

She bristled. “I don’t think it’s any of—”

“I think I have a right to know,” Chakotay insisted. “It’s a simple question, Kathryn. Did you sleep with him?” 

She looked away and was silent for a long moment. “Yes,” she said at last. 

He exhaled sharply at her admission. “It was the night you invited him over for dinner, wasn’t it? I remember seeing him come out of your cabin. He seemed distracted.” Chakotay gave an ironic laugh. “I almost stopped by to ask you how things went.”

“Chakotay,” she said, as she stood and laid her hand gently on his arm. He flinched at her touch and so she pulled back. “It was just an impulsive, spur of the moment...I didn’t plan for it to happen.” 

“You never do anything impulsively,” he said, shaking his head. “Everything you do is well thought out and planned, calculated down to the nth degree.”

It was her turn to wince. “I can’t believe you just said that,” Janeway said. “You don’t believe I have wants and needs like everyone else?” 

“And Tighe certainly filled a particular need for you, didn’t he?” Chakotay retorted. “When you had sex with him, was it a rebound from Mark, or was it something more?” The anger slowly faded from Chakotay’s expression as he added sadly, “I always thought that getting home would finally give us our opportunity to be together. Now, I’m not so sure…tell me, Kathryn, is there still a chance for the two of us?”

She didn’t want to hurt him, and yet she couldn’t let him cling to false hope. “I don’t know.”

He met her gaze challengingly. “For once, Kathryn, be honest with me about what you really feel.”

“I have always been honest with you, to the best of my ability,” Janeway protested, thinking of the many conversations they’d had about their relationship, in this very room—an apt symbolism of how muddled the personal and professional had become for the two of them. 

“It’s a simple choice. When we get back to Earth, do you want to try to make a go of it with me? Or are you planning on looking up Tighe and continuing where you left off?” 

Justin and Chakotay. Two amazing men, so very different from each other, but each held out the promise of something very special, if only she was willing to take the chance. Was she? And if so, which one of them would she choose? 

Janeway suddenly recalled a common decision making tactic she’d learned in the Academy. _If you had a hard decision to make and weren’t sure what to do, pick one side at random. Then imagine you can’t change your mind and see how that makes you feel._

She knew then what she had to tell him.

“Chakotay, I will always care for you. I couldn’t have made it through the last few years without you. But I don’t...” she trailed off, unwilling to hurt him more than she already had.

“But you don’t love me,” he finished. “It’s Tighe, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She swallowed, knowing she and Justin had already given it a shot once before and had failed miserably. But the thought of _not_ trying again was unacceptable. Almost to herself, she added, “But I don’t know if he wants me.”

Chakotay gave her a sardonic smile, and shook his head. “Of course he does, Kathryn. He loves you. It was obvious to everyone who witnessed your farewell.”

***  
Three days later, two deep-space Starfleet cruisers hailed Voyager, just as Tighe had said they would. 

“Captain Janeway, this is Captain Russel Davis of the USS _Seahawk_. Along with the _Hood_ , commanded by Captain Shana Muscovy, we are here to escort you to Sector 001. Welcome back, Captain.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “It’s good to be back.”

~ The End


	13. Prologue

_Four years earlier:_

In a top secret Section 31 research facility in an undisclosed location, Commander Justin Tighe reviewed the analyses of the energy readings yet again. A detailed holographic map of the Badlands was displayed nearby, the plasma streams clearly detailed. He didn’t spare it a glance; he knew every square inch of the territory by heart from firsthand experience navigating the plasma flares and subspace eddies, and had collected much of the data himself. He sighed in frustration; he’d been at it for hours already and this was getting him nowhere. He transferred the data to a PADD and strode down the hall to the main research lab.

Beenay looked up hopefully as Tighe entered. “Anything new?” 

Tighe shook his head. “I keep coming back to the same conclusion.”

“So you’re convinced it was a tetryon beam,” Beenay said, his fatigue making his faint brow ridges stand out more prominently. The Elaysian scientist tapped a control on the arm of his mechanized chair, and advanced to the main console. Another touch, and the screen displayed a copy of the data on Tighe’s PADD.

“A tetryon beam that acted like a carrier wave,” Tighe corrected him.

“It would have had to be a much more powerful type than anything we’ve seen before,” Beenay said. 

“There’s no other explanation,” Tighe insisted. “A ship doesn’t just disappear without a trace. If it had been disabled, we would have found the wreckage.” He forestalled Beenay’s next words. “And we’ve already ruled out Cardassian involvement. They don’t have the means or the facilities in close enough proximity to be responsible for the ship’s disappearance. Abducting some or all of the crew? Yes. But that still leaves the question of what happened to the ship. The energy waves would leave a record if the ship was completely destroyed.”

Beenay sighed. “All right, you’ve convinced me. But this carrier wave would have had to be very strong.” He stared at the equations on the screen for several moments. “The readings we have indicate there was no attenuation, that it retained its coherency for at least several thousand light years. The question is, where did it come from?”

The door opened at that moment, and Lieutenant Piper stuck his head in. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said rather apologetically. “Commander, I know you said you weren’t to be disturbed, but the Admiral is on the comm again. He’s insisting on speaking with you.” 

Tighe’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Tell the Admiral,” he said firmly, “that I am unavailable.” He waited for Piper to leave before resuming his conversation with Beenay. 

“OK,” Beenay said, ignoring the byplay between the two humans. “Let’s do a directional analysis.”

Forty five minutes later, Tighe rubbed his eyes wearily and pointed at a spot on the 3-D astrometric display, then drew a straight line outward through the galactic center. “There.”

Beenay muttered under his breath in his native language. “This is impossible. It came from somewhere in the Delta Quadrant?”

“When you rule out the probable what you’re left with is the impossible,” Tighe said.

“I think you’re misquoting,” Beenay said, raising a finger with a visible effort. “’Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’” He sighed. “Point taken, however. So what do we do now?”

Tighe gave him an incredulous look. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Beenay said, “No, it’s not obvious. We can’t go to our superiors with this information, let alone Starfleet Command. It’s practically worthless when all is said and done. At current warp capability it would take at least fifty years, if not more, simply to get to the point of origin.” 

Tighe slammed his fist against the console in frustration. “I refuse to just give up. This may be a targeted weapon from an unknown aggressor. We have evidence other ships have disappeared as well. It’s not just _Voyager_.” 

“Tighe, you can’t fight the laws of physics,” Beenay said, sympathetically. “They call it maximum warp for a reason. Be realistic. What can you do, develop a brand new, faster drive?” 

“If that’s what it takes,” Tighe said stubbornly. 

“I have always admired your human propensity for optimism,” Beenay remarked, “but it would be more likely for you to be able to fly—or myself to walk unaided in this gravity—than for you to be able to accomplish this.” He did a swift set of calculations. “With this amount of power, there’s no guarantee they would even survive the centrifugal forces of the carrier wave.”

“Here’s another human expression for you,” Tighe said, abruptly getting to his feet. “It ain’t over til it’s over.” 

***  
Tighe was just about to enter his office, when Piper caught up to him. “Sir, the Admiral tried to contact you again.”

Not feeling particularly charitable, Tighe growled, “Are you saying he’s still on the line?”

“No,” Piper said, with a quick shake of his head. “He finally just left a recorded message and said to make sure you get it.” He proffered a data rod.

Feeling abashed for taking out his frustrations on the lieutenant, Tighe forced a smile as he took the rod. “Thank you, Piper.” He then went inside and began running through the energy readings yet again, but the data, frustratingly, refused to align itself into any solutions.

Ruefully, he decided this wasn’t getting him anywhere. He’d take a short break and get some coffee, maybe something to eat, and then attack the problem with a fresh perspective. As he rose from his seat, his glance fell on the data rod. 

“What the hell,” he said out loud, and inserted it into his console. “Computer, play message.” 

The visage of Admiral Owen Paris appeared, looking more worn than the last time Tighe had seen him, some years previously. 

“ _Tighe, I need to talk to you,_ ” the Admiral said with no preliminaries. _“It’s Kathryn – her ship is missing. She was on a mission in the Badlands to capture a bunch of renegade Maquis when they just disappeared.”_ The Admiral paused. _“They’re denying it, of course, but I’m convinced it’s Cardassian skullduggery behind this, that the crew of **Voyager** is probably being held in some Cardassian prison camp. You’ve got to do something,”_ he said, leaning forward. _“You’ve got to find Kathryn and rescue her. I can’t believe you won’t jump at the chance to save her. I know you never stopped loving her, no matter what the state of your relationship. You can’t give up on her.”_ Paris’ voice trembled. _“You’ve got to help her. Tighe, I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye on things over the years but I know you’re in agreement with me now. You’ve got the resources, you can save her when no one else can. Please.”_

Tighe switched off the message. “Way ahead of you, old man,” he muttered and began re-considering what he knew about the limits of warp navigation.


End file.
